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Single protein linked to high cholesterol and increased blood clot risk

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results may soon benefit from new medications that may be developed from important findings from a group of British researchers.

Scientists from the University of Reading discovered that a protein known to regulate cholesterol levels, LXR, also plays an important role in blood clotting. This is an important function of blood that speeds wound healing, but it also plays a major role in the formation of devastating buildups that occur in the arteries that contribute to heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers said medications that target this protein may be able to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of blood clots at the same time. This may significantly bring the chances of suffering a stroke or heart attack.

"While blood clotting is essential to prevent bleeding, inappropriate clotting within the circulation, known as thrombosis, is the trigger for heart attacks and strokes - which kill more people in the UK each year than any other disease," said Jon Gibbins, who led the investigation.