New cholesterol drug alirocumab halved number of heart attacks and strokes

New drug alirocumab halved number of heart attacks and strokes – An experimental cholesterol-lowering drug from Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals roughly halved the number of heart attacks and strokes in a clinical trial, revealed by researchers at the European Society of Cardiology yearly gathering in Barcelona.

High good and low bad cholesterol levels healthy for brain

High good and low bad cholesterol levels are healthy for the brain, too – High levels of “good” cholesterol and low levels of “bad” cholesterol are correlated with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, UC Davis researchers have found.

Cholesterol increases Alzheimer’s disease and Heart disease risks

Cholesterol increases risk of Alzheimer’s and heart disease – High levels of blood cholesterol increase the risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease, but it has been unclear exactly how cholesterol damages the brain to promote Alzheimer’s disease and blood vessels to promote atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol levels vary with changing seasons

Cholesterol levels rise, fall with changing seasons — Shifts in metabolism, behaviors and other factors at work – Cholesterol levels seem to fluctuate significantly with the turning seasons, which may leave some people with borderline high cholesterol at greater cardiovascular risk during the winter months, showing heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter months.

Kynamro approved to treat inherited cholesterol disorder

US FDA approves new orphan drug Kynamro to treat inherited cholesterol disorder – Kynamro – mipomersen sodium – injection approved as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). Kynamro is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Fasting before blood lipid tests may be unnecessary

Fasting Time Prior to Blood Lipid Tests Appears to Have Limited Association With Lipid Levels – Fasting prior to blood lipid tests appears to have limited association with lipid subclass levels, suggesting that fasting for routine lipid level determinations may be unnecessary.

Health Newstrack