Fructose Restriction – An Effective Lipid Intervention?

The association between lipid disorders and heart disease is well known. Medical checkups usually involve measurements of cholesterol and other lipid parameters, and most doctors advise their patients on how to improve their lipid pattern. Dietary interventions to lower the risk of heart disease commonly aim at reducing blood levels of cholesterol, LDL cholesterol in particular. This is … Read more

Do Lipid Biomarkers Like Cholesterol Predict Cancer Risk?

Lipid biomarkers are frequently used to assess the risk of heart disease.  A simple blood test provides information about LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) (1), commonly nicknamed the bad cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) (2), often called the good cholesterol. Triglycerides are usually measured as well (3). For many different reasons, lowering LDL-C has become a primary target for the prevention of heart disease. Evidence … Read more

Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) Is Not Detected by Measuring Cholesterol

Elevated blood cholesterol is a common reason why people see their doctor. Most of us have been told that high cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and we are usually urged to lower it by any means available. But, the problem is that high cholesterol is often harmless, and heart disease can occur in the absence of … Read more

The Omega-3 Index

Although regular intake of omega-3 fatty acids is believed to have several health benefits, some questions remain unanswered. Do we all need more omega-3 or just some of us? Is eating fish sufficient or do we need to take supplements? Is there a way to tell if the cells in our body are getting enough omega-3 or if we … Read more