People with increased LDL-cholesterol levels known have higher risk of heart disease.
The new research also found that raising of another protein, especially with lipoprotein-a (Lp-a) cholesterol also could increase the risk of heart disease and it may have significant impact.

Dr Robert Clarke from the University of Oxford, UK and colleagues write this report on December 24,2009 for New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr Hugh Watkin, co-author from the University of Oxford said, “this is most convincing evidence so far that this protein [Lp(a)] is directly part of the pathway that causes heart disease rather than a bystander. If we can target it through treatment, we might expect to lower the risk of disease.”

This bad cholesterol Lp(a) resulted by liver and going to bloodstream and the level of Lp(a) mostly influenced by genes. That mean the diet, exercise or medicines for lowering cholesterol level could not be help.

Despite some medicine could raise the HDL cholesterol, but they don’t work especially for Lp(a) treatment.

However, the risk can be reduced when we start focus on reducing the risk factor of heart disease such as maintain blood pressure, decreasing of LDL cholesterol, and increasing of HDL cholesterol.