Eliminating enzyme dramatically reduces cardiovascular disease

VERY interesting! Maybe it is not cholesterol but "ACAT2, a cholesterol transforming enzyme"

Eliminating enzyme dramatically reduces cardiovascular disease: "How does cholesterol in our diets end up as artery-clogging plaque that can cause heart attacks and strokes? Research in animals suggests that a little-studied enzyme may play a major role - and that drugs to target it could dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. "

The good news is that new medicines will likely be made to target ACAT2.

The bad news? ACAT2 seems to also affect monounsaturated fats (at least in monkeys):

" Evidence suggests that a diet high in mono-unsaturated fats, which include olive oil, nuts and nut butters, avocado and sesame seeds, may stimulate transformation by ACAT2.

In a study of monkeys, those that were fed a diet high in monounsaturated fat got just as much heart disease as monkeys that were fed saturated fat, even though their levels of "bad" cholesterol decreased."

The New York Times > Health > Studies Cast Doubt on Use of Calcium in Some Cases

The New York Times > Health > Studies Cast Doubt on Use of Calcium in Some Cases: "
Studies Cast Doubt on Use of Calcium in Some Cases
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Published: April 28, 2005

Despite what doctors have long recommended, regularly taking calcium and vitamin D does not prevent fractures in older people who have broken a bone or who have osteoporosis, according to two large studies released yesterday."

interesting, and disappointing. But before you get too discouraged and throw away your calcium, consider this from later in teh article:

"experts called the findings important but cautioned that they did not apply to most people.

Just people older than 70, a majority of them women with previous bone injuries, were included in the studies.

Because vitamin D and calcium are widely considered early preventive measures, it is no surprise that the studies failed to find them effective in people who already had osteoporosis or signs of it, said Dr. Steven R. Goldstein, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the New York University medical center."

Best to Eat Like the Greeks After Heart Disease

Still more evidence suggesting that a Mediterranean diet is good for you!

Yahoo! News - Best to Eat Like the Greeks After Heart Disease: "People with heart disease who stick to a so-called Mediterranean diet -- heavy on fish and vegetables, and low on saturated fats -- tend to live longer than those who follow different diets, new research suggests."

"those who ate a more Mediterranean diet were nearly 30 percent less likely to die during follow up, which lasted close to four years."

"Based on these findings, lead author Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou at Athens Medical School and Harvard University in Boston told Reuters Health that she would "absolutely" recommend a Mediterranean diet for everybody diagnosed with heart disease.

A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. It includes few saturated fats like the ones in red meat but plenty of healthier fatty acids like those found in olive oil. It also features moderate amounts of red wine. "