All articles tagged with #apob
Researchers screened thousands of compounds in lab-grown human liver cells and identified DL-1, a triazine thiol, that lowers apoB and reduces total cholesterol without causing fatty liver; in mice with humanized livers, a soluble DL-27 version lowered cholesterol metrics, suggesting a safer alternative for severe inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia) beyond current statins.
A skeptical review of the lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) hypothesis argues that very high LDL-C on a ketogenic diet does not erase the proven link between apoB-containing particles and atherosclerosis. It critiques two LMHR studies for short duration, lack of proper controls, and confounding factors, and questions the lipid-energy model’s validity. Across decades of evidence, LDL-C/apoB remains causally related to ASCVD, so reducing apoB—through diet, statins, or other therapies—remains the prudent course, even for metabolically healthy individuals. Longer-term, well-controlled data would be required to overturn this consensus.
A Northwestern Medicine study in JAMA finds apoB testing may more accurately identify cardiovascular risk than LDL or non-HDL cholesterol, and guiding cholesterol-lowering treatment with apoB could prevent more heart attacks and strokes at a cost-effective rate, based on a large lifetime simulation of 250,000 adults and intensified therapy with statins and ezetimibe.
A Northwestern-led simulation study finds using apoB levels to guide cholesterol-lowering therapy may prevent more heart attacks and strokes over a lifetime and be cost-effective compared with LDL- or non-HDL-guided strategies, though apoB testing isn’t yet routine due to extra testing, cost, and current guideline adoption.
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina are pursuing a treatment for familial hypercholesterolemia by reducing apoB, the backbone of LDL particles, using human iPSC-derived liver cells to screen about 130,000 compounds. A lead class lowered apoB release and cellular lipid levels in human cells and in humanized mice, bypassing the LDL receptor and potentially helping patients with defective receptors. Further work will clarify the mechanism, safety, and how such drugs could complement existing therapies like statins.
Melissa Claire Egan, known for The Young and the Restless, revealed she was diagnosed with coronary heart disease in late January after a heart calcium scan found mild plaque in her LAD artery; she emphasizes early detection and urges other women to get evaluated, including Lipoprotein(a) and ApoB testing, and to seek heart-health screening alongside awareness efforts with the American Heart Association.
Neurologist Dr. Priyanka Sehrawat emphasizes that normal cholesterol levels do not necessarily indicate low heart attack risk, highlighting two key markers—ApoB and Lipoprotein(a)—as stronger predictors of cardiovascular events, especially in individuals with a family history or metabolic dysfunction.
The article discusses skepticism around current heart disease prevention practices, highlighting issues with reliance on proxy indicators like LDL-C instead of direct measures like ApoB, questioning the effectiveness and motivations behind widespread statin use, and emphasizing the importance of lifestyle changes and better diagnostic tools for truly assessing and reducing cardiovascular risk.
US cardiologist emphasizes that LDL cholesterol levels above 60 mg/dL are a red flag for heart disease risk and recommends early blood testing, including ApoB, to detect hidden risks and enable early intervention for better heart health outcomes.
A growing number of physicians and researchers are advocating for a shift from the traditional emphasis on "good" or "bad" cholesterol to a more accurate marker of heart attack risk: apolipoprotein B (apoB). Research shows that measuring the number of apoB particles in the blood predicts cardiovascular risk far more accurately than the standard good-cholesterol/bad-cholesterol lipid panel. Despite evidence in favor of apoB testing, current cholesterol guidelines in the U.S. do not recommend it for all patients, leading to a lack of awareness among both patients and doctors. Proponents argue that apoB testing offers more specificity than traditional cholesterol markers and can help identify individuals at greater risk for heart disease, especially in younger populations.