Scientists Discovered a New Form of Ultra-bad Cholestrol called MGmin-LDL

Scientists at the University of Warwick in England discovered a new form of ultra-bad cholesterol  called MGmin-LDL, that increases the risk of heart disease. The finding could lead to new class of anti-cholesterol treatments.

The super-sticky low-density lipoprotein (LDL), MGmin-LDL, is often found in old people and those with Type 2 diabetes.The fatty material is stickier than the common form of LDL or bad cholesterol, making it more likely to stick to artery walls.

The discovery provides an explanation for the enhanced risk of coronary heart disease in people with diabetes. It would result into the development of new anti-cholesterol drugs.

The MGmin-LDL, which has sugary molecules that are smaller and denser than those of normal LDL, easily gets attached to artery walls, providing a starting point for the build-up of dangerous fatty plaques. As the deposits incrases, they narrow arteries and reduce blood flow. Eventually they can rupture, triggering a blood clot that causes a heart attack or stroke.

To investigate how it interacts with other molecules in the body, the scientists created human MGmin-LDL in the laboratory by adding extra sugar groups to LDL and allowing it to transform into a more stickier form.

The new finding explained why the widely-prescribed diabetes drug, metformin, appears to reduce  the danger of heart attack. Metformin is known to decrease blood sugar levels, and may block the transformation of normal LDL into even more damaging MGmin-LDL.