Cholesterol research Cholesterol Research New research may make watching your cholesterol easier. Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that an experimental drug can keep the body from absorbing extra cholesterol from the diet. This research helped doctors better understand the way the body handles cholesterol. Cholesterol does both good and bad things for the body. Extra cholesterol in the bloodstream can lead to plaque buildup in arteries.
Narrowed arteries can become blocked, causing heart attacks and strokes.
On the positive side, cholesterol is important for keeping cell membranes strong and helping the body produce some hormones. The body makes the cholesterol it needs. The trick is keeping the body from absorbing the cholesterol it doesn't need. The UT Southwestern researchers found that the drug boosts a certain sensor in the cholesterol mechanism. When this drug was used, it kept the body from absorbing cholesterol from food.