Resverlogix: A Cautionary Tale

Women who smoke during pregnancy may lower the level of 'good' cholesterol in their children, with some negative impacts showing up later in life, according to a study released Tuesday.HDL -- or high-density lipoprotein -- cholesterol helps protect against heart disease as one gets older.The research, published in the European Heart Journal, showed that by age eight children born to mothers who smoked while pregnant had HDL cholesterol levels about 10 percent below normal, once other factors were taken into account.

Going nuts in your diet can be good for your health, according to a study published Monday, which showed that eating nuts helps to lower blood cholesterol levels.People who ate an average of 67 grams (2.4 ounces) of nuts a day saw a 5.1 percent fall in total cholesterol concentration and a 7.4 percent drop in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) -- sometimes referred to as bad cholesterol -- concentration compared to no-nut eaters, the study showed.

If you’re looking to double your money, the biotech sector is one of the best hunting grounds that you’ll find. So far this year, for instance, the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ: IBB) – an ETF that’s a great proxy for the sector – has zoomed 28.2%, more than double the 13.59% SPDR S&P 500 Index ETF (NYSEArca: SPY). The IBB gained 31% last year. And a lot of individual biotech stocks have actually doubled, tripled or more – the Holy-Grail type of gains that high-tech investors crave. But there’s a problem.

Scans of mummies from as long ago as 2,000 BC have revealed that ancient people also had clogged arteries, a condition blamed on modern vices like smoking, overeating and inactivity, a study said Monday. The finding, published in the Lancet medical journal, casts doubt on our understanding of the condition known as atherosclerosis that causes heart attacks and strokes.

With the debate over gun control headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee today, it's worth recalling that the NRA has successfully gutted the government's ability to sponsor research into the actual effects that guns have on public health. 

An experimental drug to lower cholesterol has shown promise, according to a study presented Wednesday at a meeting of the American Heart Association.The drug developed by pharmaceutical giant Merck is known as anacetrapib and showed significant decreases in "bad" cholesterol and likewise boosted "good" cholesterol levels.The study, which has also been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed drops in LDL levels of cholesterol of 40 percent, while good cholesterol, or HDL levels, were lifted by 138 percent.