http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have determined the structure of human HDL cholesterol and say the finding could help explain how this "fat packet" protects against cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke. http://phys.org/news219243743.html Biology Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:02:45 EST news219243743 HDL is known as the "good cholesterol": it lowers the chance of developing cardiovascular disease. Some families display naturally high levels of HDL in their blood. Research on the underlying causes of genetically high HDL cholesterol is important for the development of new medicines that can increase HDL levels in the blood. http://phys.org/news215350305.html Medicine & Health Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:32:04 EST news215350305 Cholesterol influences the health of our hearts and blood vessels. Conventional treatment attempts to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, in the blood plasma. The opposite approach, which involves increasing the concentration of "good" HDL cholesterol using nicotinic acid, has proven unpopular among patients up to now. http://phys.org/news199362989.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:01 EST news199362989 (PhysOrg.com) -- We've all heard about the importance of raising HDL, or the so-called "good" cholesterol, and lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, to improve heart health. While we've come to assume HDL cholesterol is an inherently good thing, a new study shows that for a certain group of patients, this is not always the case. The study is the first to find that a high level of the supposedly good cholesterol places a subgroup of patients at high risk for recurrent coronary events, such as chest pain, heart attack, and death. http://phys.org/news194005467.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 May 2010 11:24:51 EST news194005467 Although seen as a potential heart disease therapy, raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by inhibiting activity of a transfer protein may not be effective, a new study suggests. Scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and Boston University School of Medicine found an association between low plasma cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) activity and increased risk of heart disease in the Framingham Heart Study population. http://phys.org/news180096318.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:30:01 EST news180096318 Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified by measuring either total and HDL cholesterol levels or apolipoproteins, without the need to fast and without regard to triglyceride levels, according to a study in the November 11 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news177096805.html Medicine & Health Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:20:05 EST news177096805 Many experimental studies have found that physical exercise can improve cholesterol levels and subsequently decrease the risks of cardiovascular disease; however, few of these studies have included enough participant diversity to provide ethnic breakdowns. Now, a long-term study of over 8,700 middle-aged men and women provides race- and gender- specific data on the cholesterol effects of physical activity, with the interesting result that women, particularly African-American women, experience greater benefits as a result of exercise than men. http://phys.org/news168095222.html Medicine & Health Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:20:01 EST news168095222 Buttery Christmas cookies, eggnog, juicy beef roast, rich gravy and creamy New York-style cheesecake. Happy holiday food unfortunately can send blood cholesterol levels sky high. http://phys.org/news150730240.html Chemistry Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:30:40 EST news150730240 Researchers have uncovered why some dietary fats, specifically long-chain fats, such as oleic acid (found in olive oil), are more prone to induce inflammation. Long-chain fats, it turns out, promote increased intestinal absorption of pro-inflammatory bacterial molecules called lipopolysaccharides (LPS). This study appears in the January issue of JLR. http://phys.org/news150652159.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:49:19 EST news150652159