Cholesterol-Heart Disease Linkage Detailed

U.S. medical researchers have detailed the linkage between cholesterol and heart disease that might result in new heart disease treatments.

St. Louis University School of Medicine scientists found cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis — a condition that greatly increases the risk of heart attack and stroke — by suppressing the activity of a key protein that protects the heart and blood vessels.

That finding, they said, might answer key questions about other diseases associated with high cholesterol levels, including some types of cancer.

We believe these findings represent a significant and novel breakthrough in cardiovascular research, said Professor Jung San Huang, the study’s lead researcher. We believe the effects of our research could be far-reaching and of great interest to the pharmaceutical, academic and clinical communities.

The research by Huang, graduate student Chun-Lin Chen and colleagues appears online in the Journal of Cell Science.