Breakthrough in lowering cholesterol

EDMONTON, Alberta, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers say they decreased the level of low-density lipids, or LDL, the "bad cholesterol," in the blood of mice by manipulating an enzyme.

Dr. Richard Lehner of the University of Alberta and his colleagues have found a way to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol and fatty acids that end up in the blood from food the body metabolizes.

"We established the proof of principle of how these metabolic pathways work," Lehner said in a statement. "We discovered the activity of an enzyme that releases fatty acids from fat cells and the liver into the blood and how to inhibit this from happening."

Lehner discovered how to inhibit LDL and triglycerides, which are another form of fat in the blood and a leading risk in obesity-related Type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease.

"There is a substantial pharmacological interest in the enzymes that control triglycerides and cholesterol metabolism in tissues," Lehner said.