Climate Fortuna

EXPERIMENTAL DRUG INCREASES GOOD CHOLESTEROL LEVELS

It would be strange to think that by boosting our cholesterol levels we could prevent heart attacks, but if we are talking about our HDL--good cholesterol--levels this could soon become a reality.

Linda Johnson from the Chicago Suntimes explains in her article, "researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Tufts University found that [a] drug doubled HDL in people with worrisomely low levels of the heart-healthy substance." In their preliminary study they also found out "the drug, torcetrapib, also reduced LDL, the bad cholesterol," says Johnson.

A person with higher levels of LDL--bad cholesterol-- has greater possibilities of having a heart attack, but one with higher levels of HDL has a lower risk of heart disease.

Johnson explains that up to this date statin drugs are what doctors have used to "reduce heart attacks by about one third." I wanted to learn more about this drugs, so I asked Doctor Francisco Olguin to clarify some concepts. Olguin, who is Director of Pharmacovigilance and Labeling at Bristol Myers, says "statins work by blocking an enzyme in the body that is involved in the production of LDL cholesterol, especially in the liver...the statins are the most effective group of drugs for lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol in the body."

This explains why Johnson's article says, "many experts hope to drive down heart disease still further by boosting good cholesterol."

You can find Johnson's article in the Chicago Suntimes official web page.

posted by Cielo Azul @ 9:26 PM