Lowering your cholesterol is to be ardently desired and there is a mountain of medical evidence showing it reduces your risk of heart disease. But for many ThirdAgers, current prescription medicines available tend to carry unpleasant side effects such as constipation and gas.
A study in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine finds a new product, Cholestagel, lowers low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by up to 19 percent without the high rate of side effects. Study author Dr. Michael H. Davidson of the Chicago Center for Clinical Trials says the side effects of cholesterol drugs lead many people to stop taking the medication.
He says increased compliance will mean greater strides in lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease. Davidson's study shows patients in a clinical trial who took the highest dose of Cholestagel reduced their risk of heart disease by nearly 40 percent.
The study was sponsored by GelTex Pharmaceuticals, which makes Cholestagel. GelTex has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for approval to market the medication in the United States.
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