Cholesterol News

October 18, 2025

Top Headlines

Supercharged Vitamin K Could Help the Brain Heal Itself

Oct. 14, 2025 — Researchers have synthesized enhanced vitamin K analogues that outperform natural vitamin K in promoting neuron growth. The new compounds, which combine vitamin K with retinoic acid, activate the mGluR1 receptor to drive neurogenesis. They also ...

A Simple Fatty Acid Could Restore Failing Vision

Oct. 14, 2025 — Scientists at UC Irvine have found a way to potentially reverse age-related vision loss by targeting the ELOVL2 “aging gene” and restoring vital fatty acids in the retina. Their experiments in mice show that supplementing with specific ...

The Vitamin D Mistake Weakening Your Immunity

Oct. 4, 2025 — Scientists discovered that vitamin D2 supplements can lower levels of vitamin D3, the form the body uses most effectively. Unlike D2, vitamin D3 enhances the immune system’s first line of defense against infections. This raises questions about ...

Brain Fat, Not Just Plaques, May Be the Hidden Driver of Alzheimer’s

Sep. 24, 2025 — For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain immune cells can become clogged with fat, leaving ...

Scientists Uncover Surprising Link Between Diet and Nearsightedness

Sep. 8, 2025 — Researchers studying over 1,000 children found that omega-3 fatty acids may help protect against myopia, while saturated fats may increase risk. Kids with more omega-3 in their diet had healthier eye measurements linked to slower vision ...

Tiny Green Tea Beads Trap Fat and Melt Away Pounds Without Side Effects

Aug. 24, 2025 — Researchers have created plant-based microbeads that trap fat in the gut, helping rats lose weight without side effects. Unlike current drugs, the beads are safe, tasteless, and easy to mix into everyday foods. Human trials are now ...

A Startling Omega-3 Deficiency May Explain Women’s Alzheimer’s Risk

Aug. 22, 2025 — Researchers discovered that women with Alzheimer’s show a sharp loss of omega fatty acids, unlike men, pointing to sex-specific differences in the disease. The study suggests omega-rich diets could be key, but clinical trials are ...

Max-dose Statins Save Lives—here’s Why Doctors Are Starting Strong

July 30, 2025 — Potent statins are the best-proven weapon against heart disease, especially when paired with lifestyle changes. Most people aren’t active enough—and many are underdiagnosed—so starting treatment strong is ...

A Tiny Chemistry Hack Just Made MRNA Vaccines Safer, Stronger, and Smarter

July 21, 2025 — What if mRNA vaccines could be made more powerful and less irritating? Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found a way to do just that—by tweaking a key molecule in the vaccine’s delivery system. Using a century-old chemical trick ...

Acid-busting Diet Triggers 13-pound Weight Loss in Just 16 Weeks

June 26, 2025 — Swap steaks for spinach and you might watch the scale plummet. In a 16-week crossover study, overweight adults who ditched animal products for a low-fat vegan menu saw their bodies become less acidic and dropped an average of 13 pounds—while the ...

This "Healthy" Fat May Secretly Be Fueling Obesity

June 11, 2025 — A popular fat found in olive oil may not be as innocent as it seems. Scientists discovered that oleic acid, a major component of many high-fat foods, uniquely spurs the growth of new fat cells by manipulating specific proteins in the body. Unlike ...

Mediterranean Diet Provides Symptom Relief for Patients with IBS in Pilot Study

May 30, 2025 — In a comparative pilot study, the Mediterranean diet and the low FODMAP diet both provided relief for patients with ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:28pm EDT

Global Shortage of Essential Nutrient Poses Health Concern

May 29, 2025 — There is a global shortage of omega-3 partly due to environmental factors, according to new research. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a public health and environmental ...

Timely Initiation of Statin Therapy for Diabetes Shown to Dramatically Reduce Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

May 27, 2025 — Taking a statin medication is an effective, safe, and low-cost way to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of cardiovascular events. Despite clinicians ...

Micro-Nano-Plastics Found in Artery-Clogging Plaque in the Neck

Apr. 23, 2025 — A small study found that fatty buildup in the blood vessels of the neck (carotid arteries) may contain 50 times or more micronanoplastics -- minuscule bits of plastic -- compared to arteries free of ...

Statin Use May Improve Survival in Patients With Some Blood Cancers

Apr. 23, 2025 — Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) who were taking cholesterol-lowering statin medications at the start of their cancer treatment had a 61% lower ...

Planetary Health Diet and Mediterranean Diet Associated With Similar Survival and Sustainability Benefits

Apr. 4, 2025 — A cohort study was conducted in Spain to compare the health and environmental benefits of the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) and the Mediterranean Diet. ...

Omega-6 Fatty Acid Promotes the Growth of an Aggressive Type of Breast Cancer, Study Finds

Apr. 1, 2025 — Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid found in seed oils such as soybean and safflower oil, and animal products including pork and eggs, specifically ...

Strong Link Between Western Diet During Pregnancy and ADHD

Mar. 4, 2025 — New research reveals that a mother's diet during pregnancy -- characterized by a Western dietary pattern high in fat and sugar and low in fresh ingredients -- may increase the risk of ...

Omega-3s Can Slow Down Aging Process

Feb. 4, 2025 — A daily intake of one gram of omega-3s can slow down biological aging by up to four months, according to an analysis of clinical data from the international DO-HEALTH study. For the first time, ...

Vitamin D Matters During First Trimester

Feb. 3, 2025 — Maternal vitamin D levels in the first trimester were related to both prenatal growth and pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study. Low vitamin D levels during the first trimester of pregnancy ...

Escaping the Endosome: Bend Lipids Improve LNP mRNA Delivery and Gene Editing

Jan. 28, 2025 — A new class of lipids improve the rates at which lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) successfully deliver RNA therapeutics and gene editing tools, promising ...

A Low Omega-6, Omega-3 Rich Diet and Fish Oil May Slow Prostate Cancer Growth

Dec. 13, 2024 — A new study offers new evidence that dietary changes may help reduce cancer cell growth in patients undergoing active surveillance, a treatment approach that involves regular monitoring of the cancer ...

New, Simple, and Natural Method for Producing Vitamin B2

Dec. 11, 2024 — Many vitamins are produced in chemical factories, often synthetically, but researchers have succeeded in developing a natural and simple method for producing vitamin B2: by gently heating lactic acid ...

New Insights About How 'Bad' Cholesterol Works in the Body

Dec. 11, 2024 — Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how 'bad' cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol or LDL-C, builds up in the body. The researchers were ...

Taking High-Dose Vitamin D Supplements for Five Years Did Not Affect the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes

Dec. 3, 2024 — Using significantly higher doses of vitamin D than recommended for five years did not affect the incidence of type 2 diabetes in elderly men and women, according to a new ...

Revisiting Vitamin D Guidelines

Dec. 2, 2024 — In June of 2024, the Endocrine Society, influenced by a substantial body of research conducted in recent years, published new clinical practice guidelines for the testing and supplementation of ...

Cooking Up a Breakthrough: Engineers Refine Lipid Nanoparticles for Better mRNA Therapies

Nov. 22, 2024 — Engineers have cooked up a new way to improve mRNA delivery, developing an optimal 'recipe' for ionizable lipids -- key ingredients in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the molecules behind the ...

Cholesterol Is Not the Only Lipid Involved in Trans Fat-Driven Cardiovascular Disease

Nov. 18, 2024 — Salk scientists have tracked the flow of trans fats using mouse models to describe the molecular mechanisms that cause trans fats to promote atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), explaining ...

High Levels of Omega-3, Omega-6 May Protect Against Cancer

Nov. 4, 2024 — In addition to lowering your cholesterol, keeping your brain healthy and improving mental health, new research suggests omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help ward off a variety of ...

Gut Hormones Could Hold the Key to Fighting Fatty Liver Disease

Oct. 7, 2024 — Fatty liver disease is a growing global health concern. Proglucagon-derived peptides (PGDPs), including glucagon, GLP-1, and GLP-2, are known to regulate lipid metabolism in the liver. However, the ...

Study Examines Effect of Fish Oil in Older Adults' Brains

Aug. 1, 2024 — A clinical trial suggests that a subset of older adults with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease may benefit from fish oil ...

New Model Could Help Provide Expectant Mothers a Clearer Path to Safe Fish Consumption

June 28, 2024 — Research creates a framework to better balance the nutritional benefit of fish consumption with the risk of mercury exposure to the developing ...

Study Finds Statins Reduce the Relative Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases by Over 20% in Adults Aged 75+ With High Cholesterol

June 26, 2024 — Researchers provided comprehensive evidence of the benefits of statin use in elderly patients, addressing longstanding uncertainties. The robust evidence demonstrated that continuous statin therapy ...

Omega-3 Therapy Prevents Birth-Related Brain Injury in Newborn Rodents

June 6, 2024 — A novel omega-3 injectable emulsion reduces brain damage in newborn rodents experiencing lack of oxygen at delivery, a major cause of disability in human infants and ...

Healthy Adults Under Age of 75 Urged to Take Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin D

June 3, 2024 — Healthy adults under the age of 75 are unlikely to benefit from taking more than the daily intake of vitamin D recommended by the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) and do not require testing for vitamin D ...

Mediterranean Diet Tied to One-Fifth Lower Risk of Early Death in Women

May 31, 2024 — In a new study that followed more than 25,000 initially healthy U.S. women for up to 25 years, researchers found that participants who had greater Mediterranean diet intake had up to 23% lower risk ...

An Omega-6 Fatty Acid May Reduce the Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Apr. 30, 2024 — A genetic propensity to higher circulating levels of lipids containing arachidonic acid, an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in eggs, poultry, and seafood, has been found to be linked with a ...

Vitamin D Alters Mouse Gut Bacteria to Give Better Cancer Immunity

Apr. 25, 2024 — Researchers have found that vitamin D encourages the growth of a type of gut bacteria in mice which improves immunity to ...

Eggs May Not Be Bad for Your Heart After All

Mar. 28, 2024 — Whether you like your eggs sunny-side up, hard boiled or scrambled, many hesitate to eat them amid concerns that eggs may raise cholesterol levels and be bad for heart health. However, results from a ...

Fish Fed to Farmed Salmon Should Be Part of Our Diet, Too, Study Suggests

Mar. 20, 2024 — Scientists found that farmed salmon production leads to an overall loss of essential dietary nutrients. They say that eating more wild 'feed' species directly could benefit our health while ...

Fatty Food Before Surgery May Impair Memory in Old, Young Adults

Mar. 15, 2024 — Eating fatty food in the days leading up to surgery may prompt a heightened inflammatory response in the brain that interferes for weeks with memory-related cognitive function in older adults -- and, ...