Benefit of lowering cholesterol early in life

Research shows that reduced cholesterol protects from heart disease later in life. Elevated levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are a known risk factor for heart disease. A new report from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, which has been looking at heart disease risk factors for many years, looks at the benefits of lifelong low LDL levels.

A group within the study participants with variants in a newly discovered gene called PCSK9 was identified. These people had lower than average LDL cholesterol thanks to these mutations. They were tracked for about 15 years and proved to have a lower than expected risk of heart disease. If their LDL cholesterol was 40 mg/dl less than normal their heart disease risk went down eight times; if it was 20 mg/dl less than normal, then they had a twofold reduction in risk. The findings show the benefits of maintaining a low level of LDL cholesterol throughout life. For those not born with mutations in PCSK9, then a healthy lifestyle, maybe supplemented by cholesterol-lowering drugs, can acheive this end.