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news.A study of 40 overweight children in Edmonton, Canada has shown that each has high levels of apoB48, a structural protein found in intestinal cholesterol, which has led researchers to believe that the common factor could be an important clue as to why some adults are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease than others.
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Researchers found that the children displayed high levels of apoB48 even as their LDL cholesterol levels, which are typically high in overweight adults, remained in the normal range. They believe that apoB48 may complement LDL cholesterol as a marker that doctors should look for when gauging a patient’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Prior to this study, researchers believed that high LDL cholesterol, which is produced in the liver, is the best indicator of a patient’s CVD risk, even they have struggled to explain why 40 to 50% of people who suffer cardiac episodes have normal LDL levels.
Dr Spencer Proctor, a nutritional scientist at the U of A and a co-author of the study, said that he believes that testing for apoB48 may become more common and less expensive as people realize how important it is in determining CVD risk.
“This study adds to a growing body of evidence we’ve collected that indicates measuring apoB48 levels as a means to measure chylomicron levels may be an important piece to the puzzle in understanding just who is and who isn’t at risk of CVD,” Mr Proctor commented.
Although the researchers believe that chylomicrons contribute significantly to the development of CVD, as yet they are unsure why. “Right now we think it’s probably a combination of both a poor diet and genetics that make a person produce high levels of apoB48,” Mr Proctor revealed.