Metabolic syndrome, a collection of related abnormalities like hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance, and excess cholesterol, poses a major risk for developing heart disease and diabetes. Individuals with a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol can be especially vulnerable to metabolic syndrome, but researchers have now found that blocking the enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1, which helps synthesize unsaturated fatty acids, greatly improves the profile of FH-mice affected by metabolic syndrome.
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