Science News

French Scientists Find Way to Lower Cholesterol

Heart attacks occur when the blood vessels supplying the heart become furred up by fatty material called atheroma. What causes this to happen is still something of a mystery, but we know that people with high blood levels of a form of cholesterol called LDL are much more at risk than people with lower levels. Cutting out cholesterol from the diet doesn't help that much though, because the body can make its own. But, French researchers announced this week that they think they have discovered the switch that turns on the bodies cholesterol production. This means that we can now try to make a drug that can turn this switch off, stopping cells from making cholesterol, and so reducing cholesterol levels in the blood and heart attacks.
Article about arterial disease.

9th Dec 2001