[escapee]

more good science on the subject of glycated LDL Vs CVD

UB Reporter: "Bad" cholesterol linked to heart attack risk

A blood component called glycated LDL—a form of low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol, with a sugar molecule attached—is known to be higher in diabetics than nondiabetics, and extensive research has shown that diabetics are at increased risk of a heart attack.

"The association of glycated LDL with myocardial infarction could explain why diabetes is a risk factor for MI (heart attack)," said Maurizio Trevisan, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions and senior author on the study.

"In fact, glycated LDL is more easily oxidized than normal LDL and more easily metabolized by macrophages, the precursors of foam cells of the atherosclerotic plaque," said Trevisan, a professor of social and preventive medicine. "This is probably because the sugar molecule attached to the apoprotein B of LDL interferes with the link of the apoprotein with its membrane receptor.

"Glycated apoprotein B, like glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), is present also in nondiabetics and its increase could be due to temporary hyperglycemia caused by a high-glycemic-load meal, by stress and by other conditions."