Breakthrough in lowering cholesterol

[Guest guest]

Breakthrough in lowering cholesterol

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/01/10/breakthrough_in_loweri

ng_cholesterol/9768/

Canadian researchers say they decreased the level of low-density

lipids, or LDL, the " bad cholesterol, " in the blood of mice by

manipulating an enzyme.

Dr. Lehner of the University of Alberta and his colleagues

have found a way to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol and fatty

acids that end up in the blood from food the body metabolizes.

" We established the proof of principle of how these metabolic

pathways work, " Lehner said in a statement. " We discovered the

activity of an enzyme that releases fatty acids from fat cells and

the liver into the blood and how to inhibit this from happening. "

Lehner discovered how to inhibit LDL and triglycerides, which are

another form of fat in the blood and a leading risk in obesity-

related Type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease.

" There is a substantial pharmacological interest in the enzymes that

control triglycerides and cholesterol metabolism in tissues, " Lehner

said.