Cholesterol News

August 12, 2026

Top Headlines

Vitamin C May Fight Cancer — But Not the Way Scientists Once Thought

Aug. 7, 2026 Linus Pauling was widely mocked for claiming that vitamin C could fight cancer, especially after trials using vitamin C pills showed no benefit. Researchers now know that intravenous vitamin C reaches vastly higher concentrations and can behave more ...

Scientists May Have Found a Way to Prevent Statin Muscle Pain

Aug. 1, 2026 Scientists have identified an immune response that may explain why statins cause muscle pain, weakness, and exercise intolerance in some people. The finding could eventually lead to treatments that protect muscles while preserving the drugs’ ...

New Microwave Frying Method Could Make French Fries Much Healthier

July 29, 2026 A new cooking method could make French fries crispier in less time while significantly limiting how much oil they absorb. Researchers propose combining microwave heating, which keeps oil out, with conventional frying, which provides the crunch ...

Mediterranean Diet May Activate Tiny Proteins That Protect the Heart and Brain

July 17, 2026 The Mediterranean diet may influence aging through tiny proteins produced inside the cell’s mitochondria. Older adults who followed the diet most closely had higher levels of humanin and SHMOOSE, ...

Millions May Be Getting the Wrong Cholesterol Test

July 6, 2026 A new study suggests that apoB, a blood test that measures harmful cholesterol particles, is better than standard LDL cholesterol testing for deciding who needs more intensive treatment. Researchers found it could prevent more heart attacks and ...

New Calculator Reveals Whether You Should Really Worry About Statin Side Effects

July 2, 2026 Scientists at the University of Oxford have created a calculator that predicts a person's individual risk of serious muscle disorders from statin medications. Their analysis found that more than 98% ...

Millions Take Omega-3 Fish Oil for Brain Health but a New Study Found No Benefit

June 29, 2026 Fish oil supplements successfully delivered omega-3s to the brain, but a two-year study found no meaningful benefits for memory, cognition, or Alzheimer’s-related brain changes. The results ...

Butter and Margarine Look Similar but Their Chemistry Changes Everything

June 26, 2026 The battle between butter and margarine comes down to chemistry. Butter’s naturally occurring fats create rich flavors, golden browning, and flaky baked goods, while margarine’s modified plant oils offer consistency and a longer shelf life. ...

This Common Vitamin Deficiency Can Mimic Normal Aging

June 25, 2026 Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a lifesaving liver treatment for pernicious anemia nearly 100 years ago. Today, researchers are finding that ...

Study Challenges a Common Belief About Vitamin D and Sunlight

June 24, 2026 A study of nearly 300 people across northern Britain found that vitamin D levels often stay low all year in groups most at risk. Surprisingly, summer sunshine did not significantly boost vitamin D levels among older adults or people from minoritized ...

One Common Fat May Fuel Type 2 Diabetes While Another Helps Fight It

June 21, 2026 Not all fats affect your body the same way. Researchers found that palmitic acid, a saturated fat common in many foods, may contribute to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes by triggering inflammation, toxic fat buildup, and cellular stress. In ...

The Supplements Older Adults Actually Need and the Ones They Don't

June 6, 2026 Supplements are often marketed as shortcuts to better health, but for many older adults, the real issue is whether they have a specific deficiency. Vitamins like B12 and D can play an important role when levels are low, while protein may be one of ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:16am EDT

Eating One Avocado a Day May Lower Heart Disease Risk

Aug. 1, 2026 A daily avocado may help lower heart disease risk in adults with obesity by reducing the number of LDL particles circulating in the blood. After six months, participants who ate an avocado each day ...

One Fat Helped Pancreatic Cancer Grow While Another Cut Disease in Half

June 2, 2026 A surprising new study suggests that when it comes to pancreatic cancer, the kind of fat you eat may matter more than how much. Researchers found that oleic acid—the main fat in olive oil and ...

Omega-3 Fish Oil Shows Promise Against Type 2 Diabetes

May 31, 2026 A new study suggests fish oil may help reduce insulin resistance even in people who aren't obese. In diabetic rats, omega-3 supplementation improved blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and inflammation ...

Scientists Create Supercharged Vitamin K That Helps the Brain Heal Itself

May 27, 2026 Scientists in Japan have created powerful new vitamin K-based compounds that may help the brain regenerate lost neurons — a breakthrough that could one day change how diseases like Alzheimer’s ...

Scientists Warn Popular Vitamin D Supplement May Have a “previously Unknown” Downside

May 23, 2026 A surprising study suggests vitamin D2 supplements may reduce the body’s levels of vitamin D3 — the more effective form of vitamin D. Researchers ...

Scientists Discover Strange Link Between Vitamin D and Pain

May 19, 2026 Low vitamin D levels could be quietly making breast cancer surgery recovery far more painful. In a new study, patients deficient in vitamin D were three times more likely to experience moderate to ...

Scientists Found a Smarter Mediterranean Diet That Slashes Diabetes Risk by 31%

May 19, 2026 A large European study revealed that a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet paired with exercise and coaching dramatically reduced the risk of type 2 ...

Vitamin D Boosts Breast Cancer Treatment Success by 79%

Apr. 28, 2026 A daily vitamin D supplement may quietly supercharge chemotherapy. In a small study, women who took low doses alongside treatment were far more likely to see their cancer vanish than those who ...

Fish Oil May Be Hurting Your Brain, New Study Finds

Apr. 26, 2026 Fish oil has long been praised as brain-boosting, but new research suggests the story may be more complicated. Scientists found that in people with repeated mild head injuries, a key omega-3 fatty ...

This Simple Fatty Acid Could Restore Failing Vision

Apr. 22, 2026 Scientists at UC Irvine have found a way to potentially reverse age-related vision loss by targeting the ELOVL2 “aging gene” and restoring vital fatty acids in the retina. Their experiments in ...

Your Vitamin D Levels in Midlife Could Shape Your Brain Decades Later

Apr. 7, 2026 Vitamin D levels in midlife may play a bigger role in long-term brain health than previously thought. In a study following nearly 800 people over 16 years, those with higher vitamin D levels in their ...

New Cholesterol Guidelines Could Change When You Get Tested

Mar. 28, 2026 A major new U.S. cholesterol guideline is shifting the focus toward earlier, more personalized prevention of heart disease. It urges people to start screening sooner—sometimes even in ...

Scientists Tested Vitamin D for COVID and Found an Unexpected Long COVID Clue

Mar. 15, 2026 A major clinical trial has delivered an unexpected twist in the search for ways to fight COVID-19 and its lingering effects. Researchers at Mass General Brigham found that taking high doses of ...

Massive Study Finds Most Statin Side Effects Aren’t Caused by the Drugs

Feb. 15, 2026 A massive review of 23 randomized trials found that statins do not cause the vast majority of side effects listed on their labels. Memory problems, depression, sleep issues, weight gain, and many ...

New Pill Cuts “bad” Cholesterol by 60% in Major Trial

Mar. 21, 2026 A new pill, enlicitide, reduced LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by about 60% in a large clinical trial, matching the power of injectable therapies. Because it’s taken orally, it could overcome one of ...

Vitamin A May Be Helping Cancer Hide from the Immune System

Jan. 16, 2026 A vitamin A byproduct has been found to quietly disarm the immune system, allowing tumors to evade attack and weakening cancer vaccines. Scientists have now developed a drug that shuts down this ...

Statins May Help Almost Everyone With Type 2 Diabetes Live Longer

Jan. 15, 2026 New research suggests statins may protect adults with type 2 diabetes regardless of how low their predicted heart risk appears. In a large UK study, statin use was linked to fewer deaths and major ...

Scientists Finally Uncover Why Statins Cause Muscle Pain

Jan. 14, 2026 A new discovery may explain why so many people abandon cholesterol-lowering statins because of muscle pain and weakness. Researchers found that certain statins can latch onto a key muscle protein and ...

Eating More Vitamin C Can Physically Change Your Skin

Dec. 26, 2025 Vitamin C doesn’t just belong in skincare products—it works even better when you eat it. Scientists discovered that vitamin C from food travels through the bloodstream into every layer of the ...

Most of the World Isn’t Getting Enough Omega-3

Dec. 9, 2025 Most people worldwide aren’t getting enough omega-3, leaving a major gap between scientific recommendations and daily diets. Researchers emphasize the critical role of EPA and DHA across all life ...

Scientists Finally Explain Statin Muscle Pain

Jan. 31, 2026 Statins are a cornerstone of heart health, but muscle pain and weakness cause many patients to quit taking them. Scientists have now identified the precise molecular trigger behind these side ...

Scientists Find a Hidden Obesity Trigger in Soybean Oil

Nov. 30, 2025 Researchers at UC Riverside have uncovered why soybean oil, one of America's most widely consumed ingredients, drives significant weight gain—at least in mice. The findings point not to the ...

Vegan Diet Beats Mediterranean for Weight Loss Even With Potatoes and Grains

Nov. 24, 2025 Participants lost more weight on a low-fat vegan diet than on the Mediterranean diet, largely due to eliminating animal foods and reducing oils and nuts. Increased intake of plant foods, even ...

Vitamin D3 Breakthrough Halves Risk of Second Heart Attack

Nov. 10, 2025 Intermountain Health researchers discovered that customizing vitamin D3 doses for heart attack survivors slashed their risk of another heart attack by 50%. The strategy involved frequent monitoring ...

How Cutting Lipids Could Starve Breast Cancer

Oct. 19, 2025 Researchers found that triple-negative breast cancer cells are “addicted” to lipids, a feature tied to obesity. By studying mice, they discovered that high lipid levels alone accelerate tumor ...

A Simple Fatty Acid Could Restore Failing Vision

Oct. 14, 2025 Scientists at UC Irvine have found a way to potentially reverse age-related vision loss by targeting the ELOVL2 “aging gene” and restoring vital fatty acids in the retina. Their experiments in ...

Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements Could Backfire Without This Key Enzyme

Feb. 13, 2026 Fish oil’s cancer-fighting reputation may hinge on a little-known gene. Researchers discovered that omega-3s like EPA and DHA help curb colorectal cancer only when the enzyme ALOX15 is present. ...

The Vitamin D Mistake Weakening Your Immunity

Oct. 4, 2025 Scientists discovered that vitamin D2 supplements can lower levels of vitamin D3, the form the body uses most effectively. Unlike D2, vitamin D3 enhances the immune system’s first line of defense ...

Brain Fat, Not Just Plaques, May Be the Hidden Driver of Alzheimer’s

Sep. 24, 2025 For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain ...

Supercharged Vitamin K Could Help the Brain Heal Itself

Oct. 14, 2025 Researchers have synthesized enhanced vitamin K analogues that outperform natural vitamin K in promoting neuron growth. The new compounds, which combine vitamin K with retinoic acid, activate the ...