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MGmin-low-density lipoprotein (LDL), a form of ultra-bad cholesterol that significantly increases the risk of heart disease , has been discovered by researchers at the University of Warwick,England. The scientists, who wrote about their discovery in thejournal Diabetes , say their findings may lead to new therapies for elderly patientsas well as those with diabetes type 2. The British Heart Foundation study found that MGmin-LDL is muchstickier than normal LDL and is more common among elderlyindividuals as well as those with diabetes type 2. It attaches tothe walls of arteries more readily, where it forms the dangerousfatty plaques that cause CHD ( coronary heart disease ). A significant proportion of patients who have a heart attack also have existing coronary heart disease. The scientists made human MFmin-LDL in the lab and studied itscharacteristics and how it interacted with other key molecules inthe human body. If you add sugar groups to normal LDL, it becomes denser andsmaller. The process of adding the sugar groups is calledglycation. The LDL changes shape, and new regions on its surfaceare more likely to attach to artery walls, resulting in moreaccumulation of fatty plaques. As the plaques grow the arteriesbecomes narrower, resulting in reduced blood flow. The artery caneventually rupture and blood clots can form, raising the risk ofheart attack or stroke . The authors believe that this is why metformin, a diabetes drugwhich lowers blood sugar levels, reduces the risk of heart disease.Metformin may reduce coronary heart disease risk because it blocksthe transformation of normal LDL to the stickier MGmin-LDL. Dr Naila Rabbani said: "We're excited to see our research leading to a greaterunderstanding of this type of cholesterol, which seems tocontribute to heart disease in diabetics and elderly people. Type 2diabetes is a big issue - of the 2.6 million diabetics in the UK,around 90 per cent have type 2. It's also particularly common inlower income groups and South Asian communities. The next challenge is to tackle this more dangerous type ofcholesterol with treatments that could help neutralise its harmfuleffects on patients' arteries." Dr Shannon Amoils, Research Advisor at the British HeartFoundation, said: "We've known for a long time that people with diabetes are atgreater risk of heart attack and stroke. There is still more workto be done to untangle why this is the case, but this study is animportant step in the right direction. This study shows how themake-up and the shape of a type of LDL cholesterol found indiabetics could make it more harmful than other types of LDL. Thefindings provide one possible explanation for the increased risk ofcoronary heart disease in people with diabetes. Understanding exactly how 'ultrabad' LDL damages arteries iscrucial, as this knowledge could help develop new anti-cholesteroltreatments for patients." "Glycation of LDL by Methylglyoxal Increases ArterialAtherogenicity - A Possible Contributor to Increased Risk ofCardiovascular Disease in Diabetes" Naila Rabbani, Lisa Godfrey, Mingzhan Xue, Fozia Shaheen, Mich leGeoffrion, Ross Milne and Paul J. Thornalley Diabetes May 26, 2011. DOI 10.2337/db11-0085 Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. I am an expert from model-gifts.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Gazing Ball Stands , Stained Glass Suncatcher Manufacturer, Funny Garden Gnomes,and more.
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