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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Researchers followed 1,889 people between the ages of 18 and 30 when first seen, looking for development of metabolic syndrome -- whose components include abdominal obesity, high fasting blood sugar levels and high blood fat levels -- over the next 20 years. The 20 percent of the people in the study with the highest oxidized LDL levels were 3.5 times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those with the lowest levels, the researchers found.
A similar relationship was found for the individual components of metabolic syndrome, with people with the highest oxidized LDL cholesterol levels twice as likely to develop abdominal obesity, high blood fat and high blood sugar levels, the study found.
It's not yet possible to say that high levels of oxidized LDL lead directly to metabolic syndrome, the researchers wrote, but "the strong association ... is consistent with a causal role."
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"This highlights the potential of oxidized LDL to be a target in perhaps preventing metabolic syndrome," said Bret Goodpaster, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who has participated in previous studies of oxidized LDL.
"We have statin drugs that are very effective in treating high LDL levels," Goodpaster said. "The question now becomes, what kind of intervention can we deliver here?"
On a practical level, the new finding does nothing to affect the existing recommendations for prevention of cardiovascular disease, Jacobs said.
"What we can do to start with is not to smoke," he said. "Smoking is associated with higher oxidized LDL cholesterol. I would also recommend a healthy diet and physical activity. The diet should include plant foods with lots of antioxidants, which will probably help to keep the body in better balance."
Goodpaster said there's no evidence now that either lifestyle changes or drug treatment can affect oxidized LDL levels. "What we should be looking for is how these things change with interventions such as statin drugs or lifestyle changes," he said.
More information
Metabolic syndrome and its effects are described by the American Heart Association.
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