The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils — the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods — are not “generally recognized as safe” for use in food.

It wasn’t always so.

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Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle, red sorrel; Arabic: karkade) grows as large shrubs or small trees that produce huge, colorful, trumpet-shaped flowers promoted to reduce cholesterol levels.

Researchers at the University of Malaya, in Kuala Lumpur, reviewed the data on its effectiveness and safety. (more…)

Statins are prescribed to treat high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Increased fitness is recommended as an essential part of promoting health.

Now, researchers at Georgetown University School of Medicine, in Washington DC, report the combined effects of fitness and statin treatment on mortality. (more…)

Dr. Claude Bouchard and colleagues from around the US and Finland tell us that people differ in their response to regular exercise.

Sometimes these differences contribute to adverse changes in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors, according to this study. (more…)

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined the relationship between 4 low-risk behaviors and mortality among a group of people in the United States. (more…)

In this Cochrane review, researchers at the Child and Adolescent Care Centre, in Chennai, India, assessed the effects. (more…)

Dietary advice is the basis of treatment of diabetes, but there’s uncertainty about the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Researchers at Uppsala University, in Sweden, compared the effects of diets rich in omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids on glucose and lipoprotein metabolism in these patients. (more…)

Acute coronary syndrome refers to any condition brought on by sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart causing chest pain during a heart attack or chest pain at rest or doing light physical activity (unstable angina).

Researchers at Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, in China, tested berberine’s effects on ACS patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (aka angioplasty or stent placement). (more…)

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, in Frederiksberg, Denmark, compared the effects of a diet rich in palm olein (the liquid portion of a fat) to fractionated palm oil, olive oil, and lard. (more…)

Researchers at Akershus University College, in Lillestrom, Norway, studied the effects of krill oil and fish oil on lipid blood levels and oxidative stress and inflammation in healthy people. (more…)

Researchers in the US and UK investigated the effect of selenium on lipid blood levels. (more…)

During the American Society of Nephrology Annual Meeting, researchers at Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, reported that patients on hemodialysis who drank moderate amounts of pomegranate juice saw improvement in lipids, blood pressure, and the number of antihypertensive medications required. (more…)

Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University, in Jena, Germany, studied the influence of a probiotic supplement alone and combined with a calcium supplement on lowering blood cholesterol levels. (more…)

Researchers at The Ohio State University, in Columbus, recorded the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid) and safflower oils on blood sugar levels, blood lipids, and inflammation. (more…)

Researchers at Laikon General Hospital, in Athens, Greece, looked for a response. (more…)

Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, in Boston, are the first to evaluate changes in the cholesterol-lowering effects of atorvastatin (Lipitor) in patients with high cholesterol taking stable doses atorvastatin while drinking typical quantities of grapefruit juice. (more…)

Here’s a look at the use of dietary supplements by physicians in 3 specialties in the US: cardiology, dermatology, and orthopedics. (more…)

Red yeast rice is an alternative therapy to treat high cholesterol levels. It contains monacolins that may inhibit HMG-CoA reductase — the enzyme inhibited by statins.

Researchers at Chestnut Hill Hospital, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, report marked variability of monacolin and citrinin content in 12 readily available red yeast rice products. (more…)

Dietary fat is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers in Ireland measured the effect of 3 grams cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) on gastric emptying, postprandial lipid and blood sugar responses, and other metabolic effects. (more…)

Epidemiological studies have associated eating nut with reduced risk for coronary heart disease (narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart).

Researchers in the US and Spain reviewed the evidence. (more…)