New form of ultra bad, sticky cholesterol found

The scientists from the University of Warwick, England, suggest that the new type of cholesterol is more commonly found in elderly and those affected with type 2 diabetes.

Stickier form of cholesterol
The researchers found that the MGmin-Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is stickier than the other forms of cholesterol, which made it more likely to stick to the walls of the arteries and also form fatty plaques that increased the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Lead researcher Naila Rabbani, associate professor, experimental systems biology, at the Warwick Medical School said, “We're excited to see our research leading to a greater understanding of this type of cholesterol, which seems to contribute to heart disease in diabetics and elderly people.”

The findings gain importance as these can help the researchers develop more effective anti cholesterol treatments, and also explain the rise of heart diseases in type 2 diabetes patients.

The researchers said their study might also explain the working of the popular type 2 diabetes drug Metformin which works by blocking the transformation of normal cholesterol into extra sticky LDL.

Implication of the study findings could play an important role in the treatment of coronary heart disease, especially among the older patients, the online journal, ‘Diabetes’ states.

The study
The scientists made the discovery by making human MGmin-LDL in their laboratories and then they studied the characteristics and the interaction of this cholesterol with other molecules in the human body.

The researchers found that this type of ‘super sticky’ cholesterol is created by adding the sugar groups to the LDL or bad cholesterol as it is commonly known.

This process, known as glycation, made LDL smaller and denser which in turn made the cholesterol stickier, more likely to narrow arteries, reduce the flow of blood in it along with building fatty plaque, the researchers discovered in the study that was funded by the British Heart Foundation.

Rabbani explained that the narrowed arteries can rupture anytime; creating a blood clot that can causes a heart attack or a stroke.

Rabbani said, "The next challenge is to tackle this more dangerous type of cholesterol with treatments that could help neutralize its harmful effects on patients' arteries."