Cholesterol and cholestyramine

I'm not ready to post about this study yet but I thought I'd just put up a flag for its existence. It has long puzzled me why cholestryamine should show any benefit in cardiovascular disease, even if any benefit is offset by increased non cardiovascular mortality.

It turns out that cholestyramine increases the blood level of at least one oxysterol 25 fold. I would guess that this is accumulated in Lp(a).

This is of particular interest to me. I'll get around to why one day but thanks to Leib at THINCS for the lead in to the whole area.

So cholestyramine: When you look at all of the metabolic benefits which come with this wonder drug it's just amazing it doesn't save any lives.




Could it be that the multiple metabolic benefits (or the accumulated oxysterols, gasp, heresy again) reduce cvd mortality while the low cholesterol encourages you to throw a punch in some bar in down town Dallas?

Peter