UC Davis researchers have shown that statins not only improve cholesterol levels, but also dramatically reduce disease-causing inflammation in patients with metabolic syndrome – a condition defined by symptoms that include abdominal obesity and high blood pressure. The study, led by Ishwarlal Jialal, professor of medicine and pathology and director of the Laboratory for Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research, was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.