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Tag: Cholesterol

  • Weight Gain and Cholesterol Reduced by New Nitric Oxide–Focused Treatment

    Weight Gain and Cholesterol Reduced by New Nitric Oxide–Focused Treatment

    Scientists have identified an enzyme that promotes fat synthesis and demonstrated that inhibiting it stops weight gain and reduces cholesterol levels in mice.
    As obesity and fatty liver disease rise alongside energy-dense diets and sedentary habits, researchers are uncovering new biological drivers behind these conditions. A Cleveland-based team has identified a previously unknown enzyme essential for fat production, and early findings suggest that blocking it can prevent weight gain and improve cholesterol levels. Image Credits: Stock

    Scientists have identified an enzyme that promotes fat synthesis and demonstrated that inhibiting it stops weight gain and reduces cholesterol levels in mice.

    Obesity has become one of the most prevalent global health problems and is a leading cause of avoidable illness and premature mortality. It greatly raises the likelihood of associated conditions such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). These patterns have intensified as contemporary lifestyles promote energy-dense diets and lower levels of physical activity.

    The new study focuses on nitric oxide, a small gaseous molecule that plays a crucial role in regulating numerous biological functions.

    Nitric oxide affects cellular behavior by attaching to specific proteins and altering how they work. When this signaling pathway is disrupted—whether by excessive or insufficient nitric oxide modification of key proteins—normal metabolic regulation can fail, increasing the risk of disease.

    In a study reported in Science Signaling, researchers from University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University identified a previously unrecognized enzyme called SCoR2. This enzyme strips nitric oxide from proteins that regulate fat storage and production in the body. By removing nitric oxide from these targets, SCoR2 activates fat synthesis, revealing its pivotal role in the body’s capacity to produce fat and highlighting its potential as a target for new treatments.

    Shutting Down Fat Synthesis

    The team next shut down SCoR2 using genetic approaches as well as a newly created drug. In mouse studies, blocking this nitric oxide–removing enzyme stopped weight gain and lessened liver injury, while the drug also reduced levels of harmful cholesterol.

    “We’ve identified a new category of drug that both blocks weight gain and reduces cholesterol, offering a promising treatment approach for obesity and cardiovascular disease, along with added benefits for the liver,” said study lead author Jonathan Stamler, MD, President and Co-Founder of the Harrington Discovery Institute and a Distinguished University Professor at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.

    He further explained that in the liver, nitric oxide suppresses proteins responsible for producing fat and cholesterol, while in adipose tissue it shuts down the genetic program that drives the enzymes involved in fat creation.

    A Novel Approach to Tackling Obesity

    The next phase of this research will move the drug into clinical trials, expected to take roughly 18 months.

    “Our team is eager to continue developing this first-of-its-kind drug to prevent weight gain and reduce cholesterol, while also benefiting liver health,” said Dr. Stamler.

    Read the original article on: SciTechDaily

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  • Groundbreaking Study Challenges Decades of Warnings About Eggs and Cholesterol

    Groundbreaking Study Challenges Decades of Warnings About Eggs and Cholesterol

    Image Credit: Pixabay

    In a groundbreaking clinical trial, researchers have reexamined the roles of cholesterol and saturated fat, revealing that eggs may be much less harmful—and possibly even beneficial—than once believed. This latest study adds to a growing body of evidence challenging long-held dietary assumptions.

    In a world-first investigation, scientists from the University of South Australia (UniSA) explored how dietary cholesterol and saturated fat separately affect levels of “bad” cholesterol, or LDL. Their findings showed that consuming two eggs daily as part of a high-cholesterol, low-saturated-fat diet actually reduced LDL levels and lowered the risk of heart disease.

    “Eggs have been unfairly blamed due to outdated nutrition advice,” said lead researcher Professor Jon Buckley from UniSA. “They’re unique—high in cholesterol, but low in saturated fat. Yet it’s their cholesterol content that has often made people question whether they belong in a healthy diet.”

    Study Pits Egg-Rich, Egg-Free, and High-Fat Diets Against Each Other

    In a randomized, controlled crossover study, 61 healthy adults followed three different five-week diets, each separated by a break. All diets had the same number of daily calories, but varied in cholesterol and saturated fat. The egg diet included two eggs per day, making it high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat; the egg-free diet was low in cholesterol but high in saturated fat; the control diet was high in both, including just one egg per week.

    Specifically, the egg diet delivered 600 mg/day of cholesterol (6% saturated fat), the egg-free diet had 300 mg/day (12% saturated fat), and the control had 600 mg/day (12% saturated fat).

    Results showed that the egg diet significantly lowered LDL (“bad”) cholesterol compared to the control (103.6 µg/dL vs. 109.3 µg/dL). The egg-free diet, despite its lower cholesterol content, had no significant effect on LDL levels. Saturated fat, not cholesterol, appeared to drive LDL changes.

    Digging deeper, researchers found changes in the types of LDL particles. The egg diet reduced total LDL but also altered particle composition—fewer large, less risky particles and a slight increase in smaller, denser ones linked to plaque buildup. While this shift isn’t clearly harmful, it raises new questions and highlights the need for further research.

    Saturated Fat, Not Egg Cholesterol, Identified as Key Factor in LDL Levels

    The no-egg diet also led to a rise in small LDL particles and a drop in large ones, but didn’t significantly lower overall LDL cholesterol. The study’s findings pointed to saturated fat—not cholesterol from eggs—as the real driver of elevated LDL. This suggests that avoiding eggs without reducing saturated fat intake is unlikely to improve cholesterol levels

    Additional results showed that the egg-rich diet increased blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin—antioxidants found in egg yolks that support brain and eye health and reduce inflammation. Interestingly, higher levels of these carotenoids were linked to increased spontaneous physical activity among participants. Though not a proven cause-and-effect relationship, researchers suggest these compounds might influence motivation or energy regulation in the brain.

    “We isolated the effects of cholesterol and saturated fat and found that high cholesterol from eggs, when combined with low saturated fat, doesn’t raise LDL,” said Professor Jon Buckley. “Instead, saturated fat is the main culprit.”

    This trial builds on earlier observational research from Monash University, which reported that eating up to six eggs per week was associated with a 29% lower risk of heart disease compared to rarely eating them.

    New Research Challenges Decades of Misguided Fears About Eggs

    Although skeptics might dismiss such findings as egg industry propaganda, these studies challenge outdated thinking shaped by the era of “nutrient reductionism”—when foods were judged based on single components like fat or cholesterol. For decades, eggs were demonized due to their cholesterol content, despite weak evidence linking dietary cholesterol directly to heart disease. By the 1980s and ’90s, the yolk was vilified again during the low-fat craze, even though it contains most of the egg’s nutrients and primarily healthy fats.

    This reductionist view overlooks the complexity of how our bodies process whole foods within the context of meals, metabolism, and lifestyle. Nutritional science is now shifting toward a more holistic understanding.

    “So when it comes to breakfast,” Buckley noted, “it’s not the eggs you should worry about—it’s the bacon or sausage that poses more risk to your heart.”

    Still, the study underscores the need for more research on how eggs affect not just LDL levels, but the specific types of LDL particles.

    Currently, the American Heart Association recommends that healthy individuals can safely eat one egg per day—and that older adults with healthy cholesterol can have up to two—due to eggs’ strong nutritional profile.

    Read the original article on: New Atlas

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