Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Cholesterol lowering drugs may prevent degenerative eye disease (macular degeneration)

Cholesterol lowering drugs may prevent degenerative eye disease (macular degeneration)

August 14, 2003

Statins, the drugs used to lower blood cholesterol, may help prevent the degenerative eye disease known as age related maculopathy or macular degeneration, finds research in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Macular degeneration is a major cause of irreversible visual impairment among adults in the UK and USA. Sufferers do not go blind, but find it virtually impossible to read, drive, or do tasks requiring fine, sharp, central vision.




It is caused by the progressive break down of light sensitive cells in the macula, located in the centre of the retina at the back of the eye. Risk increases with age, and as yet there is no effective curative or preventive treatment. Smokers are thought to be more susceptible.

US researchers assessed 550 people newly diagnosed with macular degeneration and 5500 randomly selected people at one veterans’ medical facility between 1997 and 2001. All those taking part in the study were aged 50 or older.

All those with macular degeneration were significantly more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, or vascular disease, but there were no differences between them and the comparison group in terms of arterial disease or lipid metabolism disorders.

An overview of the drugs they had been prescribed showed that those with macular degeneration were 50% less likely to have been prescribed statins than those without. This was irrespective of whether patients were taking statins at the time or had taken them in the past, or what other medical conditions they had. The association was not found for sole use of other types of cholesterol lowering drugs.

The authors caution that these are preliminary findings, and that a further long term trial is needed to investigate the effectiveness of statins in the treatment and prevention of macular degeneration.

British Medical Journal (BMJ)



Related Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News Articles Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News RSS Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News RSS
Apple or pear shape is not main culprit to heart woes — it's liver fat
For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But new findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest body-shape comparisons don't completely explain risk.

Novel bioreactor enhances interleukin-12 production in genetically-modified tobacco plants
Interleukin-12 is a naturally occurring protein essential for the proper functioning of the human immune system.

Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk for cardiovascular disease
Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease.

Understanding how oxidative stress impairs endothelial progenitor cell function
Although its been over a decade since endothelial progenitor cells or EPCs, cells that circulate in the blood repairing and replacing the cells that line blood vessels, were identified, the field is still evolving.

Estrogen therapy could be dangerous for women with existing heart risk
Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests.

Researchers identify how binge drinking may drive heart disease
As the holidays arrive, a group of researchers has identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke, according to a study published today in the journal Atherosclerosis.

A scientific breakthrough on the control of the bad cholesterol
A study performed by the team of Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, Director of the Biochemical Neuroendocrinology Research Unit at the IRCM, shows for the very first time that the degradation by PCSK9 of the LDLR receptor

Heart patients are often not treated in accordance with guidelines
Many patients with cardiovascular disease are not given adequate drug therapy. This is the result of an international study. In the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Uwe Zeimer et al. present the German results of this prospective, one-year survey.

MU study reveals effective anti-tobacco ads should either scare or disgust viewers
Now's the perfect time to increase anti-smoking campaigns - Nov. 20 is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout.

Red, red wine: How it fights Alzheimer's
Scientists call it the "French paradox" - a society that, despite consuming food high in cholesterol and saturated fats, has long had low death rates from heart disease.
More Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News Articles


Cholesterol Down: Ten Simple Steps to Lower Your Cholesterol in Four Weeks--Without Prescription Drugs
by Janet Brill

Take Control of Your Cholesterol— Without DrugsIf you are one of the nearly 100 million Americans struggling with high cholesterol, then Dr. Janet Brill offers you a revolutionary new plan for taking control of your health—without the risks of statin drugs. With Dr. Brill’s breakthrough Cholesterol Down Plan, you simply add nine “miracle foods” to your regular diet and thirty minutes of...



The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It
by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

Statins are the so-called "wonder drugs" widely prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels that claim to offer unparalleled protection against heart disease. Many experts claim that they are completely safe and that they are also capable of preventing a whole series of other conditions. This groundbreaking study exposes the truth behind the hype surrounding statins and reveals a number of...



Betty Crocker's Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cooking Today
by Betty Crocker Editors

Everyone's favorite cooking expert Betty Crocker has completely revised and updated the perennial favorite, Betty Crocker's® Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cooking Today, with updated information about fat and cholesterol, and lots of easy-to-understand tips for establishing a healthy eating lifestyle. But with Betty Crocker it can't only be easy--it has to be delicious. And true-to-form, 120 recipes...



American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 3rd Edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol
by American Heart Association

The nation’s most trusted authority on heart-healthy living presents the third edition of this bestselling cookbook, with updated health information and 50 all-new recipes.Eating well is essential to living well. Choosing nutritious food can be complicated, however, especially in a world of fad diets and conflicting health advice. Now in its latest edition, the American Heart Association...



The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure
by Robert E. Kowalski

Robert Kowalski's personal story is legendary. By the age of forty-one, he had suffered a heart attack and had undergone two coronary bypass surgeries. A traditional dietary approach to lowering his cholesterol failed dismally, and faced with the unpleasant alternative of a lifetime on medication, he created a program that proved astonishingly effective for him -- and legions of others worldwide...



The New 8-Week Cholesterol Cure: The Ultimate Program for Preventing Heart Disease
by Robert E. Kowalski

The groundbreaking cholesterol-lowering program . . . now even more effective! Robert Kowalski's personal story is legendary. By the age of forty-one, he had suffered a heart attack and had undergone two coronary bypass surgeries. A traditional dietary approach to lowering his cholesterol failed dismally, and faced with the unpleasant alternative of a lifetime on medication, he created a...



American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th edition: Delicious Recipes to Help Lower Your Cholesterol
by American Heart Association

Eat wisely, eat well. The nation’s most trusted authority on heart-healthy living presents the fourth edition of this classic cookbook, with the most up-to-date information on heart health and nutrition—including the effects of saturated and trans fats and cholesterol—and 50 exciting new recipes.American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook offers more than 200 delicious,...



50 Ways to Lower Cholesterol
by Mary P. McGowan

Because diet, weight, exercise, and genetics determine cholesterol levels, the treatment of a cholesterol disorder requires a multifaceted approach. 50 Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol provides you with a proven plan to lower cholesterol. Here, the author delivers sound advice, 50 workable solutions, explanations of both "good" and "bad" cholesterol, and the latest information on key...



Eating for Lower Cholesterol: A Balanced Approach to Heart Health with Recipes Everyone Will Love
by Catherine Jones

Heart disease is America's number-one killer. The correlation between high cholesterol levels and heart disease is proven., but the number of people struggling with high cholesterol grows annually, and new national guidelines for healthy cholesterol levels recently became more stringent. Eating for Lower Cholesterol offers cutting-edge information on cholesterol to help people lower their...



What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About(TM) : Cholesterol: The Latest Natural Treatments and Scientific Advances in One Breakthrough Program (What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About...)
by Stephen R. Devries, Winifred Conkling

Heart disease is largely preventable, but conventional cholesterol management is often inadequate. According to university cardiologist and leading prevention specialist Dr. Stephen R. Devries, avoiding heart disease requires a far more comprehensive approach that balances new high tech testing with low tech treatments. Now, in WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT CHOLESTEROL, Dr. Devries...

© 2008 BrightSurf.com