TL;DR
Get health and wellness essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology analyzed nearly 3,000 blood proteins alongside genetic data and long-term health records to examine how LDL, TRL and Lp(a) particles relate to heart disease. The study found shared protein patterns for TRL and Lp(a) associated with inflammatory and blood-vessel processes, but it did not test a treatment or establish a clinical protein test.
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology report that two types of blood fat-carrying particles, TRL and Lp(a), share protein patterns associated with inflammatory and blood-vessel processes that may help explain why heart disease risk can remain after LDL cholesterol is lowered. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, offers biological clues for future prevention research, but does not establish a new treatment or clinical test.
The team used proteomics analysis to examine nearly 3,000 blood proteins, combining those measurements with genetic data and long-term health records. The researchers compared patterns linked to three particles that carry fats through the blood: LDL, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL), and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Each can deposit cholesterol in artery walls, though LDL is the most abundant of the three.
The analysis associated TRL and Lp(a) with overlapping protein patterns. Some of the proteins were linked to attracting immune cells, which researchers said could contribute to inflammation and changes in blood-vessel structure. By comparison, the protein pattern associated with LDL was mainly linked to cholesterol buildup in artery walls.
Lead author Jakub Morze, a postdoctoral fellow at Chalmers, said the study sought to understand whether different particles affect blood vessels in different ways and why risk can persist. Study leader Clemens Wittenbecher, an assistant professor of precision medicine and diagnostics at Chalmers, said lowering LDL remains a cornerstone of prevention. The researchers described the findings as a basis for further investigation, not proof that acting on the protein patterns would prevent disease.
Risk Signals Beyond LDL
Lowering LDL cholesterol substantially reduces the risk of heart attacks, but it does not remove risk for everyone. The study addresses a question relevant to people whose LDL is at a recommended level yet who may still develop coronary heart disease: whether other particles and the biological processes associated with them help account for that remaining risk.
The shared patterns found for TRL and Lp(a) may guide research into prevention that is more closely matched to the pathways involved. That possibility remains a research direction, not a clinical recommendation. The study did not show that testing these proteins or targeting them improves outcomes, and it does not change the established role of LDL reduction.
The public-health stakes are substantial: the World Health Organization estimates that cardiovascular diseases cause nearly 17.9 million deaths worldwide each year, with heart attacks and strokes accounting for more than four out of five of those deaths. The study may help researchers investigate risk left unexplained by LDL levels, but it does not quantify how much disease the identified patterns account for.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How the Particles Differ
Coronary heart disease develops when fatty material accumulates in blood vessels supplying the heart. LDL, often called “bad cholesterol,” is a key risk factor, and lowering it is a standard part of prevention. The Chalmers team’s report focuses on the fact that other particles also carry fats and can contribute to deposits in artery walls.
The researchers refer to TRL and Lp(a) as potential contributors to risk that remains beyond LDL. A previous study by the same research group found that counting harmful particles was more effective at predicting future heart disease risk than other measures it assessed, according to the supplied report. The new study adds protein-pattern evidence about possible biological effects; it does not replace that earlier finding with a treatment trial.
Proteins perform many functions in the body and can vary with factors such as diet, stress, aging and disease. The researchers used their patterns as clues to biological activity associated with the particles. Those associations can help generate hypotheses, but they do not by themselves establish that a particular protein causes heart disease.
“For this study, we wanted to understand what happens beyond the accumulation of cholesterol in artery walls, whether different fat-carrying particles can damage the blood vessels differently and why the remaining risk of heart disease still occurs.”
— Jakub Morze, lead author and postdoctoral fellow at Chalmers University of Technology
From Protein Patterns to Prevention
The study identifies associations and biological clues; it does not establish that the protein patterns cause heart disease. The supplied report gives no estimate of how much risk is explained by these patterns, how well they predict an individual’s risk, or whether a test based on them would be reliable or useful in clinical care.
It is also unknown whether measuring or targeting the identified processes would improve prevention outcomes beyond existing approaches. The researchers did not test a new treatment, and the study did not validate a protein test for routine use. For now, no change to clinical practice is established by these findings.
Testing the Findings in Prevention
According to Wittenbecher, the next step is to determine whether measuring or targeting the identified processes can improve prevention alongside existing treatments. That would require further research to test whether the protein patterns predict meaningful outcomes and whether acting on them makes a difference to patients.
Until such evidence is available, the study supports continued investigation rather than a new screening or treatment recommendation. LDL-lowering remains a cornerstone of heart-disease prevention, while the potential role of TRL, Lp(a) and their associated protein patterns remains under study.
Key Questions
What did the study find?
Researchers found overlapping protein patterns associated with TRL and Lp(a), including patterns linked to immune-cell attraction and possible inflammation and blood-vessel changes. These findings may help explain biological processes related to heart disease risk beyond LDL, but do not prove cause and effect.
Does this mean LDL cholesterol is no longer a key risk factor?
No. Study leader Clemens Wittenbecher said lowering LDL remains a cornerstone of prevention. The research examines possible contributors to risk that may remain even when LDL is lowered.
Is there a new blood test or treatment based on the findings?
No. The study did not establish a protein test for clinical use or test a new treatment. Researchers say further work is needed to find out whether measuring or targeting these processes improves prevention.
What are TRL and Lp(a)?
TRL means triglyceride-rich lipoprotein, and Lp(a) means lipoprotein(a). Both are fat-carrying particles in the blood that can deposit cholesterol in artery walls. The study examined protein patterns associated with these particles and LDL.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
