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Triglycerides more closely related to stroke risk than LDL cholesterol, study finds

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

A simple cholesterol test may not be all there is to assessing stroke risk in post-menopausal women. A new study suggest that the type of cholesterol a person has may be most important.

Researchers from New York University found that higher triglyceride levels are closely associated with stroke risk in post-menopausal women - more so than LDL cholesterol levels are. This a different view of cardiovascular risk factors than traditional concepts, which state that LDL cholesterol is the strongest predictor of cardiovascular risk.

For the study, the researchers assessed information gathered from more than 90,000 women over a 15-year period. The results showed that individuals who started the study with high triglycerides were up to two times more likely to suffer a stroke, compared to those with low levels. No such association was seen with LDL cholesterol.

"We've always believed that total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were the most important biomarkers for identifying stroke risk, but this study gives us strong evidence to question that approach," said Jeffrey Berger, who led the investigation.

Therefore, when a woman seeks cholesterol testing, she should make sure to opt for a screening that gives a complete lipid profile, rather than one that only measures LDL levels.