Researchers at the University of Warwick have uncovered a new type of cholesterol that has been proven to increase heart disease risk and the study is published in Diabetes. This ‘ultra-bad’ cholesterol, as it is now referred to, is much fattier and stickier than the common LDL (low density lipoprotein) or ‘bad’ cholesterol that we take treatments to control and combined with its altered shape, it is thus much more likely to stick to the walls of the artery.
The ‘ultra-bad’ cholesterol has been found mostly in elderly patients and patients who suffer from diabetes and it is killing thousands of people every year. The cholesterol is formally known as MGmin-LDL. As with LDL cholesterol, arteries narrow and blood flow is hindered causing heart attack and stroke but this type of cholesterol is highly aggressive.
The aim of the study was to find out how the sugary MGmin-LDL molecules reacted with other molecules in the body and their study offered an understanding into why Metformin, the diabetes drug, reduces the risk of heart attack since the drug lowers blood sugar levels and has the potential to stop LDL from turning into the serious ‘ultra-bad’ cholesterol.
The study has shed light on why those who suffer from diabetes are at increased risk of developing coronary heart disease and also recognises the value of metformin which may become more widely prescribed to such patients.