A team of researchers believes that they have found the mechanism that allows cholesterol to be absorbed into the blood. The big implications for this are that it could significantly change how doctors treat individuals with high cholesterol, helping them to prevent or avoid complications from cardiovascular disease.
The team found that there were two main proteins responsible for the absorption of cholesterol. These proteins are labeled as Aster B and Aster C. According to this research, these proteins help to transport cholesterol to the membranes of the intestine, where excessive bad cholesterol is then distributed to the body. Obviously, this is something that is not in someone’s best interest when it comes to their health. Finding a way to prevent cholesterol from being spread in this manner would go a long way toward helping to reduce unhealthy cholesterol levels.
This discovery has the potential to help improve the care and treatment that people at risk of cardiovascular disease receive from their treatment teams. The research team did state that there are medications out there that can also help with blocking Aster B and Aster C, thus ensuring that people with higher cholesterol levels get more pointed treatment from a pharmaceutical perspective, too. New medications may be on the way in the future, too. There’s obviously more work to do on this front, but hopefully this research can act as a starting point for future projects.
This research comes out of the University of Leicester. Research was funded by the Leducq Foundation with results published in the journal, Science. Hopefully, this research and similar studies will continue to help improve the outcomes that people suffering from or at risk of cardiovascular disease will experience. There’s always room for improvement on this front, especially since cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in the United States.
Cholesterol comes in good and bad forms. It is a naturally occurring substance within the body, produced within the liver. However, when levels become unhealthy, an individual can suffer from things like stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular illnesses when arteries become clogged. Unfortunately, these can be devastatingly dangerous for an individual. A stroke or heart attack can lead to a lifetime of disability or impairment. Someone in this situation may need assistance around the house for the rest of their life.
Professional senior care can be helpful for someone suffering from a health related disability. Having a professional on your side might be exactly what’s needed to help a loved one live the life that they want to live.
If you’d like to talk more about how senior care can help a loved one that is dealing with cardiovascular disease, please reach out to one of our care professionals. We offer free consultation sessions designed to answer your questions and get you pointed in the right direction. Senior care can be confusing, but it doesn’t need to be when you have a good team on your side. We’d love to be part of your team. Give us a call to start the conversation today.
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