For those of us with high cholesterol, there are two options: changing your diet, or opting for a statin. Some of us might need to do both. Though medications have come a long way, there are those among us who would prefer to be able to eat as much sharp cheddar as they can without suffering any cardiac consequences or dealing with some of the side effects of statins.
A new therapy might be able to help with the latter.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona and the University of Oregon are focusing on a specific protein responsible for regulating how your body processes “bad” cholesterol. When production of this protein is quelled, your cells can absorb more of the lipids bobbing along your bloodstream, which decreases the amount circulating in your arteries that typically leads to fatty plaque buildup.
Thus far, researchers have tested this mechanism — introducing a kind of DNA molecule called a polypurine hairpin to shut down production of this protein — in lab-grown liver cells and in mice, finding it more cost-effective to synthesize. This might also avoid the muscle pain common to statins.
As of 2025, just under 94 million 20 years or older have what is considered borderline high cholesterol. While it might seem like something that can wait, prolonged high cholesterol severely increases your chance of heart attacks and strokes. Early testing, like getting a lipid panel, is key to knowing whether you might need to make some lifestyle changes such as tweaking your diet or pursuing medication.
In the meantime, we’ll keep hoping for a medication that lets us eat as much cheese as we like.