What if it was possible to press a button Reset and reset its physiological and bodily data to zero: have a new body? Scientists at Imperial College London (UK) are far from the result but have at least succeeded in finding adults with baby cholesterol levels!
Researchers analyzed data from more than 5,000 people involved in cholesterol-lowering trials. The patients had an average age of 60 and many were slightly overweight. And they had all been diagnosed with a cholesterol levelhigh, and were taking statins, drugs to fight it.
Two drugs lower cholesterol levels
About half of the volunteers were also treated with a new drug, alirocumab, and the study found that in combination with statins, this treatment dropped low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels to less than 50 milligrams per decilitre, the cholesterol level of a newborn.
“Experts are unsure whether very low cholesterol levels are harmful or beneficial,” said lead researcher Professor Kausik Ray, from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health. This study not only suggests that they are safe, but that they also reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by a third.
Bad cholesterol causes many heart problems
“This study not only confirms that LDL can trigger heart problemsbut also suggests that reducing it in adults to very low levels is both safe and beneficial,” added Prof Ray.
Longer term data is now needed to see if the beneficial effects continue. The study was funded by international pharmaceutical company Sanofi and US biotech firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
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