Take Charge of Your Numbers
Your blood contains secrets about your overall health. It can indicate whether you’re at risk for heart disease, show that your kidneys aren’t functioning correctly, or reveal that you are developing diabetes. That’s why annual exams typically include a blood draw. In fact, blood work ranks among the most common diagnostic methods. Looking at lab […]
6 Health Reasons to Eat Eggs
Eggs are budget-friendly, easy to cook, and good for you too. However, you may have heard that you should eat them sparingly. Confused by all the conflicting information? Here’s what you need to know about eggs’ benefits. 1. Eggs are a complete protein. Eggs are more than a good source of protein (with 6 grams […]
The Good Egg?
The research on eggs over the years has been confusing, to say the least. One year, they’re “bad” because they contribute to dietary cholesterol, which has been associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But then, the next year they’re back on the sunny side of the plate when researchers determine the link between […]
Ask the Harvard Experts: Should HDL Still Be Called the Good Cholesterol?
Q: For a long time, I thought a high “good” cholesterol level balanced out the negative health effects of a high “bad” cholesterol level. Is that no longer true? A: First, some definitions. Since cholesterol is a fat, it can’t travel alone in the bloodstream. To get around this problem, the body packages cholesterol and […]
4 Ways to Improve Your Cholesterol
Every cell in your body contains cholesterol — it’s an important building block for tissues that make up your organs — but if your levels are out of whack, it can spell all kinds of health trouble. Too much LDL cholesterol gloms up the walls of your blood vessels and can lead to heart disease. […]
Ask the Harvard Experts: How to Ease Muscle Pain Possibly Caused by Statin
Q: I take a statin to lower my cholesterol. I have been having muscle aches, but I don’t want to stop the statin. What causes the muscle pain? What can I do to minimize this side effect? A: The true incidence of statin-induced muscle pain is hard to pin down. In clinical studies of people […]
Why (and How) to Cut Saturated Fats From Your Diet
The 411 on limiting saturated fats. Chances are, nothing good comes to mind when you hear those words. That’s because research has proven again and again that diets high in saturated fats increase LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in blood, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association began recommending in 1961 that we […]
How to improve your cholesterol levels
If one-third of Americans have unhealthy cholesterol levels, why did the U.S. recently change its advice to limit the cholesterol we eat daily? Well, for most of us, dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on the cholesterol that ends up in our arteries. But keeping your blood cholesterol numbers down is still key to preventing […]
Statin use doesn’t always mean a coenzyme Q10 supplement is needed
Mayo Clinic Q&A DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have heard that taking coenzyme Q10 is good for people who take statins. There are so many commercials and ads about it. But is it really necessary to take this supplement? How do I know if I need it? And is liquid better than pill form? How much […]
Many ways to lower cholesterol will reduce heart disease risk
Harvard Health Blog Several contemporary clinical trials have shown that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs reduce the risk of heart attacks in patients with coronary artery disease. This compelling body of evidence has led to the question of whether other drugs that lower cholesterol also reduce heart attacks. Older studies had certainly shown this, though these studies […]
Feeding Your Heart
Changing gears on cholesterol guidelines Cardiovascular disease still tops the charts among chronic diseases in the United States. Recent statistics show that 117 million American adults—about half of the U.S. adult population—have one or more chronic health conditions like heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Plus, two-thirds of adults and one-third of children in the […]
EatingWell: New discoveries about cholesterol hold surprises
By Shaun Dreisbach, EatingWell.com It turns out cholesterol is way more complex than experts originally thought. And diet is only part of the picture. A recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that compared high- and low-fat diets found that eating the low-fat diet didn’t have a significant impact […]
