Cholesterol and its threats to cardiovascular health may assume a new definition with the discovery of a "super bad" and "super sticky" MGmin-low-density lipoprotein, LDL. Researchers at the University of Warwick, England, have discovered that this LDL has the capability to raise the risk of heart diseases.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, revealed a greater intensity of stickiness in the MGmin-LDL in comparison to the normal LDL. This type of super sticky cholesterol has been mainly spotted among senior people and in the individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes.
This newly discovered bad cholesterol has been found to stick to the arterial walls more readily, thereby leading to the deposition of the harmful fatty plaques that become responsible for causing coronary heart diseases.
It has been found that people who have had heart attacks also had an existing coronary heart disease. The researchers synthesized the human MFmin-LDL in the laboratory and tried to examine its interaction with the key molecules in the body. Adding sugar groups (glycation) to normal LDL will make it denser and smaller.
The change in shape and the new regions developed will make the LDL cholesterol stick more easily to the arterial walls, thereby leading to the buildup of plaques. The narrowing of the arteries due to plaque deposition reduces blood flow. This condition can lead to the rupture of the arterial walls, resulting in the formation of blood clots and increasing the risk of strokes or heart attacks.
Researchers believe that Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes, actually work by preventing the transformation of normal LDL to the super sticky MGmin-LDL and this way it brings down the risk of coronary heart diseases in diabetic individuals. They are of the opinion that the finding will help to develop better therapies for elderly and diabetic individuals.
