Recent research has found the strongest evidence that an often ignored form of cholesterol can cause heart attacks.
Recent research has found the strongest evidence that an often ignored form of cholesterol can cause heart attacks. The research showed that people with the highest lipoprotein (a) levels were two to three times more likely to have a heart attack than those with the lowest levels.
Heart attacks remain a leading cause of death despite current treatment with statins that lower the 'bad' cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL). There is a need to identify other factors, and thus potential new targets for prophylactic treatment.
Lipoprotein (a) is one of several forms of cholesterol found in the blood whose levels can vary up to a thousand fold from one person to another. It has been around for a long time as a risk factor but people hadn't taken it too seriously because they didn't think it caused heart attacks. One problem is that people have little control over this cholesterol whose levels are determined almost entirely by genetics.
To study the role of lipoprotein (a) in heart attacks, researchers from Denmark analysed the genes of 45,000 men and women who gave blood samples for a large national survey starting in 1976. They tested their lipoprotein (a) levels and then followed them up until 2007. It was found that people with the highest levels of this cholesterol had the most heart attacks with one genetic variation accounting for about a quarter of the cases of high lipoprotein (a).
Statins - taken by millions to cut heart attack and stroke risk - do not affect lipoprotein (a) but the findings may encourage the development of new cholesterol-lowering drugs. Among the agents known to lower lipoprotein (a) levels are niacin, a vitamin often prescribed generically to lower cholesterol and aspirin.
Thought his study shows the role of lipoprotein (a) in heart attacks, the final proof still requires randomized clinical trials demonstrating reduced heart attack risk in response to lipoprotein(a)-lowering therapy.
Heart attacks remain a leading cause of death despite current treatment with statins that lower the 'bad' cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL). There is a need to identify other factors, and thus potential new targets for prophylactic treatment.
Lipoprotein (a) is one of several forms of cholesterol found in the blood whose levels can vary up to a thousand fold from one person to another. It has been around for a long time as a risk factor but people hadn't taken it too seriously because they didn't think it caused heart attacks. One problem is that people have little control over this cholesterol whose levels are determined almost entirely by genetics.
To study the role of lipoprotein (a) in heart attacks, researchers from Denmark analysed the genes of 45,000 men and women who gave blood samples for a large national survey starting in 1976. They tested their lipoprotein (a) levels and then followed them up until 2007. It was found that people with the highest levels of this cholesterol had the most heart attacks with one genetic variation accounting for about a quarter of the cases of high lipoprotein (a).
Statins - taken by millions to cut heart attack and stroke risk - do not affect lipoprotein (a) but the findings may encourage the development of new cholesterol-lowering drugs. Among the agents known to lower lipoprotein (a) levels are niacin, a vitamin often prescribed generically to lower cholesterol and aspirin.
Thought his study shows the role of lipoprotein (a) in heart attacks, the final proof still requires randomized clinical trials demonstrating reduced heart attack risk in response to lipoprotein(a)-lowering therapy.
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