(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The small portion of LDL (bad cholesterol) that
undergoes oxidation may be one of the causes of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of
conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes.
Researchers at Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium studied the
association between the concentration of oxidized LDL and the incidence of
metabolic syndrome over five years. Their focus was on abdominal obesity, high
fasting glucose levels and high triglycerides -- all components of metabolic
syndrome.
They found people with the highest levels of oxidized LDL were
three-and-a-half-times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. Among the
components of LDL, those with the highest LDL had twice the risk for abdominal
obesity, high fasting glucose and triglyceride measurements.
The authors of the study say they do not believe it’s possible to conclude that
oxidized LDL is a marker on pathways to the development of metabolic syndrome.
However, they write “the strong association of oxidized LDL with the incidence
of metabolic syndrome is consistent with a causal role.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;299:2287-2293
