Another Link to Metabolic Syndrome
Reported May 22, 2008
(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 its 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