January 17, 2019
From ‘dead on the road’ to healthy and active
By uclahealth 
On Feb. 22, 2016, Michael Bannon was taking his daily morning bike ride when tragedy struck. Somewhere along his one hour route through Santa Monica, Bannon, now 57, suffered a massive heart attack and was left “dead on the road,” he says. A passerby found him and started chest compressions; then emergency personnel resuscitated him […]
Tags: cardiology, cholesterol, Dr. Melkon Hacobian, Dr. Peyman Benharash, LDL, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine, patient story, plant-based diet, The Checkup, UCLA Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program, weight loss
November 20, 2018
By uclahealth
“For the last 40 years I’ve directed a series of studies showing how powerful changes in diet and lifestyle can not only prevent disease, but help reverse it,” says Dr. Dean Ornish, creator of the UCLA Health Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program. Pictured is the care provider team. “When a patient is put on drugs to […]
Tags: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, diet, Integrated Medicine, lifestyle, UCLA Health Ornish Lifestyle Medicine
June 26, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Could coconut oil lower my cholesterol?
Dear Doctor: I’m 75, healthy, and want to stay that way in spite of a bad family history regarding hearts and arteries. I have taken 10 milligrams of Lipitor for several years, but am wondering if I should try coconut oil to lower my cholesterol. We seem to be seeing a sudden rise in the […]
Tags: Ask the Doctors, canola oil, cholesterol, coconut oil, coronary heart disease, Dr. Robert Ashley, lauric acid, LDL, olive oil, palmitic acid, saturated fat
June 20, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Does niacin help lower cholesterol?
Dear Doctor: I’ve been taking niacin for years to lower my cholesterol. Do you think it really helps? First, let’s look at niacin and its role in the body. Niacin is a B vitamin that the body needs to create the compounds NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate), both of which are […]
Tags: Ask the Doctors, C-reactive protein, cholesterol, Dr. Robert Ashley, heart attacks, niacin, research, simvastatin, statins, strokes, vitamin B3
June 6, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Which are better for cholesterol? Statins or fibrates?
Dear Doctor: My friends and I are all getting older, and I’ve noticed that some of them are on statins to lower their cholesterol. My doctor chose a fibrate for me, Lopid (gemfibrozil). What’s the difference between statins and fibrates, and what’s special about Lopid? Statins and fibrates act in fundamentally different ways. Statins, more […]
Tags: Ask the Doctors, blood cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol levels, Dr. Robert Ashley, fibrates, heart attack, LDL, statins, stroke, triglycerides
April 21, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Should I worry about a possible link between statins and cancer?
Dear Doctor: Does my cholesterol medication increase my risk of cancer? I assume you’re asking about statins, the most commonly prescribed type of cholesterol-lowering medication. These drugs, which work by lowering cholesterol levels in the bloodstream, are generally regarded as both safe and effective. They’re so effective that widespread statin use, along with a decline […]
Tags: Ask the Doctors, cancer risk, cholesterol, Dr. Robert Ashley, HDL, heart attacks, LDL, statins
March 22, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Should I take a statin just in case?
Dear Doctor: A news report recently said that statins are underused. I’m 50 with normal cholesterol. Should I take one just in case? Dear Reader: Statins, which are a type of cholesterol-lowering medication, have consistently shown benefit in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people who have had a previous heart attack […]
Tags: angina, C-reactive protein, cholesterol, crp, diabetes, diet, Dr. Robert Ashley, family history of heart disease, heart attack, hypertension, low-density lipoprotein, normal cholesterol
February 12, 2018
Most Americans unaware of one of the leading causes of blindness among seniors
By uclahealth
Age-related Macular Degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness among seniors, affecting approximately 2.1 million people nationwide. By 2050, it is expected that the number will more than double to 5.4 million. People may be putting themselves at unnecessary risk of vision loss by neglecting to have sight-saving eye exams. Throughout February, UCLA […]
Tags: age-related macular degeneration, AMD, AMD awareness, American Academy of Ophthalmology, blindness, cholesterol, comprehensive eye exams, degenerative diseasem, Doheny Eye Institutes, eye conditions, eye diseases, eye exams
June 15, 2017
A few facts about rheumatology at UCLA
Most people think of rheumatology as the study of joint disorders, such as arthritis, but they may not know just how broad the field really is. Because rheumatologic disorders also affect blood vessels, organs and a host of other body parts, rheumatology research delves down into the effects on those systems as well. At UCLA, […]
Tags: arthritis, bad cholesterol, cholesterol, Dr. John Fitzgerald, fibromyalgia, good cholesterol, gout, HDL, inflammatory diseases, joint pain, LDL, microbiome
March 10, 2017
How air pollution might damage our gut health – and what we can do about it
By Ryan Hatoum 
Our gut bacteria affects our overall physical and mental health in ways researchers are only now starting to understand. A new study has found that air pollution may play a role in the impact of gut bacteria on our health as well – and not in a good way. UCLA researchers have found that […]
Tags: air pollution, atherosclerosis, center for human nutrition, cholesterol, dr tzung hsiai, dr zhaoping li, fruits, gut bacteria, heart health, nutrition, research, scientific reports
