Diabetes and Ezetimibe
Hands up if you always thought the cholesterol in meats and milk is the same stuff that clogs arteries. While that's partly true, the reality is more complicated. Your liver can make its own cholesterol, thank you. In fact, that hard-working organ produces about 75 percent of the cholesterol in your body.
However, that means the liver relies on cholesterol in the diet to produce the other 25 percent. Ezetimibe is a relatively new drug that prevents the liver from taking up cholesterol in the intestines. While reasonably effective on its own, ezetimibe has been paired in a single pill with a statin drug (simvastatin) to create a double-threat medication called Vytorin. Studies show that the duo can lower LDL cholesterol more than 50 percent. Side effects linked to ezetimibe include stomach pain and fatigue.
Read the next page to learn how plain old aspirin can help diabetics.
For more information on diabetes, and its effect on cholesterol and the heart, try the following links:
- Diabetes and Heart Disease explains the relationship between these two conditions.
- Diabetes Symptoms covers the diverse signs of the disease, from increased thirst and hunger to sudden weight loss.
- To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
- For more information on cholesterol and its effect on your health, read How Cholesterol Works.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.