Hypercholesterolemic patients demonstrate a submaximal oxygen transport rate, University of Minnesota researchers report in a study published in the
Henry Buchwald and his team analyzed blood samples from 100 patients and uncovered an inverse correlation between plasma cholesterol levels and oxygen transport rate — a measure of how efficiently oxygen can be moved out of red blood cells and into the tissues. "Doctors have noted that chest pain associated with coronary heart disease diminishes after cholesterol is lowered," said Buchwald. The team conclude that plasma cholesterol level is a controlling factor in erythrocyte membrane cholesterol content, which in turn regulates oxygen transport in and out of red blood cells, and thereby, tissue oxygen availability. ...
