Cholesterol Management Health Center

News and Features Related to Cholesterol Management

Cholesterol Levels Getting Better in U.S.

Nov. 17, 2009 -- Researchers say the prevalence of high levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol decreased dramatically among U.S. adults between 1999 and 2006. That's the good news from a study published in the Nov. 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The bad news -- or part of it -
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Niacin Tops Zetia in Cutting Artery Plaque

Nov. 16, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) -- A prescription version of niacin beat out a blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug in slowing the buildup of plaque in artery walls, researchers report. The study pitted extended-release niacin, sold as Niaspan, which works by boosting levels of HDL "good" cholesterol
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11 Tips to Cut Your Cholesterol Fast

How's your cholesterol? If you think that the normal reading you got back in 2004 (or earlier) means you're in the clear, think again: Levels of the artery-clogging substance often rise with age, and cardiologists say everyone 20 or older should be screened for high cholesterol at least once every f
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Statin Drugs May Cut Risk of Gallstones

Nov. 11, 2009 -- A popular class of cholesterol-lowering medications appears to reduce the risk for gallstones that ultimately require surgery. Researchers reporting in this week's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association have found that adults who take a statin medication for at lea
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Statins May Perform Better as a Solo Act

Aug. 31, 2009 -- Statins may do their best work at lowering cholesterol levels alone, according to a new review of research on the popular drugs. More than 28 million Americans have some form of heart disease, and doctors often prescribe statin drugs to lower dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
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High Cholesterol Linked to Alzheimer's

Aug. 4, 2009 -- Adults with even moderately elevated cholesterol in their early to mid-40s appear to have an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias decades later, a new study shows. Researchers followed more than 9,800 people for four decades in one of the largest and longest a
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Livalo, a New Statin, Gets FDA Nod

Aug. 3, 2009 - The FDA has approved a Livalo, a new cholesterol-lowering statin drug. Known by the generic name of pitavastatin, Livalo has been used in Japan since 2003. It's also sold in Korea and Thailand. Livalo is made by the multinational Japanese firm Kowa Company Ltd., which now has faciliti
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High Cholesterol Risks: Top 2 Dangers

A lot of people don't take the risks of high cholesterol very seriously. After all, one out of five people have high cholesterol. A staggering 50% of Americans have levels above the suggested limit. Could something so common really be a serious health risk? Unfortunately, yes. Cholesterol is a direc
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Muscle Damage From Statins May Evade Blood Test

July 6, 2009 - Statin users with prolonged statin-related muscle pain may also experience muscle damage, even when a blood test used to identify muscle injury is normal, new research shows. Studies suggest that between 10% and 15% of patients who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Crestor,
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Red Yeast Rice May Lower Cholesterol

June 17, 2009 -- By some estimates, as many as 10% of people who take cholesterol-lowering statins experience troubling muscle pain, and many stop taking the drugs because of it. Now a new study suggests that a dietary supplement sold in nutrition centers and grocery stores may be a useful alternati
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