Cholesterol Archive

Learn what's behind coconut oil's sexy makeover.

Not so long ago, we were warned off coconut oil as a sneaky vegetable food hiding a high percentage of saturated fat. Now, the same product has re-emerged as a sexy new superfood.

Each year, some 600,000 people in the United States get an artery-opening stent (a tiny mesh tube used to prop open a blood vessel), usually to restore blood flow to the heart. Afterward, most take aspirin and another anti-clotting medicine for up to a year.

Within the first two years of getting a stent, an estimated one in five people needs surgery for something other than a heart problem. That can be dangerous because anti-clotting medications raise bleeding risk, but stopping the drugs boosts the risk of a blood clot.

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stiffening of the arteries are well-known contributors to cardiovascular disease. These same factors may also promote the development of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. In a study published in Neurology, researchers conducted brain scans on 91 elderly men and women. Although none of the participants showed signs of dementia, about half had significant amounts of amyloid deposits in their brains.

Study participants also underwent tests for cardiovascular health. One measured arterial stiffness, an indicator of the health of the body's vascular system. People with the stiffest arteries showed more amyloid plaque in the brain as well as a greater number of lesions in brain's "white matter," a marker of trouble in the small arteries.

Q. I know I'm not supposed to consume trans fats, but I'm not sure how they damage health. Can you explain it?

A. Despite what you might have heard for decades, not all types of fats in your diet are bad for you. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are "good fats." We need the good fats in our diet, in moderation. (Any type of fat contains a lot of calories, and pigging out on "good fats" can lead to unhealthy weight gain.) In contrast, saturated and trans fats are "bad fats."

More than 30 million people in the United States take statins to keep their cholesterol in check. But a new study finds this group may be at increased risk for developing cataracts, a main cause of poor vision and blindness. The study in JAMA Ophthalmology, published online Sept. 19, 2013, found that people taking statins were about 27% more likely to have cataracts than those not taking them. The study didn't prove the drugs cause cataracts, only that they're associated with an increased risk of developing them. So should you stop taking your statin? "That would be a mistake," says cardiologist Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a Harvard Medical School professor and editor-in-chief of the Harvard Heart Letter. "Even if the increase in risk for cataracts observed in this study is real, it was a small excess risk in a condition that can be easily identified and treated versus the reduction in heart attack risk that statins are known to provide, at least in people who are at elevated risk of heart attacks." Cataracts often occur with age, when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. It can be removed and replaced with an artificial lens in a common outpatient procedure.

Updated cholesterol guidelines released yesterday by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology aim to prevent more heart attacks and strokes than ever before. How? By increasing the number of Americans who take a cholesterol-lowering statin. The previous guidelines, published in 2002, focused mainly on “the numbers”—starting cholesterol levels and post-treatment levels. The new guidelines focus instead on an individual’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The higher the risk, the greater the potential benefit from a statin. A statin is now recommended for anyone who has cardiovascular disease, anyone with a very high level of harmful LDL cholesterol, anyone with diabetes between the ages of 40 and 75 years, and anyone with a greater than 7.5% chance of having a heart attack or stroke or developing other form of cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years.

Q. At a recent check-up, my doctor told me that my cholesterol was normal but my triglycerides were high. What are triglycerides, and do I need to lower them?

A. Triglycerides are fats (lipids) that move through the bloodstream and can be stored in body tissues. Whether you need to do anything about your triglycerides depends on how high they are. Anything above 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is considered too high and raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. Very high triglycerides (over 500 mg/dl) can lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas.

People who take a cholesterol-lowering statin are more likely to report muscle strains and sprains.

Most of the 70 million Americans with high blood pressure need more help lowering their cholesterol levels, nationwide data reveal.

More than 75% of people with high blood pressure have high LDL cholesterol levels. But less than a third of people with these two heart disease risk factors keep both under control, an analysis of national survey data shows. The study, led by Dr. Brent Egan of the University of South Carolina, was published in the journal Circulation.

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs won't make you heart attack-proof, but they do reduce your risk.

If your doctor has advised you to take a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, what good things can you expect to get out of it? And is it worth the risk of side effects you may have heard about, like muscle aches and memory problems?