Triglycerides

Corn bran should be added to the bandwagon of fiber-rich foods showing promise of significantly lowering cholesterol levels in the blood stream, researchers say. Georgetown University Hospital researchers found when people ate raw corn bran their serum cholesterol was lowered 20% and triglycerides 31%--"the same order of magnitude as reported for oat bran and bean diets," the researchers said.

An experimental drug that turns off cravings for tobacco and food may become a treatment for the nation's leading causes of death: smoking and obesity. Last week, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans on the dual punch of Rimonabant, the first in a new class of drugs that block the chemical system that gives marijuana users the munchies.

Americans seem to be falling for fish oil supplements -- and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A new survey suggests fish oil pills are the most popular dietary supplement in the country, even over multivitamins. Fish oil matters because it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA and EPA. If you've been paying attention (and the ConsumerLab.com survey indicates that you have), you know fish oil can help maintain a healthy heart and better brain function for starters.

The arteries of many obese children and teenagers are as thick and stiff as those of 45-year-olds, a sign that such children could have severe cardiovascular disease at a much younger age than their parents unless their condition is reversed, researchers said Tuesday. "It's possible that they will have heart disease in their 20s and 30s," said Dr. Geetha Raghuveer of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, who led the study presented at a New Orleans meeting of the American Heart Assn.

Q: Which is better, fish oil or flax oil capsules? Both contain omega-3 fatty acids, but it is much harder for the body to utilize the fats from flaxseed oil. If your goal is to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, fish oil is preferable. During a recent stay in the hospital, while swallowing pills I mentioned to the nurse that I had a dread of having a large pill get stuck in my throat. She explained that the right way to swallow is to lower your chin down toward your chest.

Preventing heart disease in adulthood begins with reducing risks early in life. Both a child's doctor and parents have roles to play, researchers and cardiologists say. Pediatricians and family practitioners should: * Obtain family health history, including whether parents, grandparents or siblings have had heart attacks, strokes or early heart disease. * Provide dietary guidelines, including limits on the consumption of fatty foods. * Recommend physical activity.

Unfit middle-aged men seeking to cut their risk of heart disease should concentrate on diet, not just exercise, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. In the study of 111 sedentary and obese men ages 46 to 80, 44 were told to lose 10% of their body weight, and 49 were told to increase maximum aerobic capacity by 10% while maintaining body weight. The remaining 18 were a control group.

Taste may not be the only reason garlic appears in so many dishes around the world. The bulb has long been valued for its medicinal qualities. Hippocrates treated infections and intestinal disorders with it, and Muhammad used it to relieve pain from wounds. More recent research has confirmed that the compound allicin in garlic has therapeutic properties. Uses: Garlic is perhaps most popular as a remedy to lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Babies born during cold weather appear to have more heart disease and insulin resistance, higher triglycerides and poorer lung function later in life than those born when it's warmer outside. The association comes from a health study of 4,286 British women, ages 60 to 79. Researchers determined the dates and locations of their births, then used climate records to pinpoint conditions at the times they were born.

For people with metabolic syndrome, there is no shortage of the warning signs for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Now scientists at Yale University Medical School say they have found a molecular common denominator that may help explain why conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides tend to cluster in some people.