Sugar substance 'kills' good cholesterol raising the risk of heart disease
- Methyglyoxal (MG) is formed from glucose in the body, but is 40,000 times more reactive than glucose
- University of Warwick team found that MG damages 'good' cholesterol
- Experts say MG damage to 'good' cholesterol could count for up to a 10% risk of heart disease
- Drugs and food supplements to reduce MG levels could prevent and correct low levels of 'good' cholesterol associated with heart disease
A substance derived from sugar has been found to 'kill' good cholesterol, turning it 'bad', scientists have discovered.
Researchers from the University of Warwick found methylglyoxal (MG), which is formed from glucose in the body, damages 'good' High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which removes excess levels of 'bad' cholesterol from the body.
LDL cholesterol is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to plaque: a thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries.
If an artery is narrowed by plaque and a clot forms, it can become blocked and the person can suffer a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers say that drugs and food supplements could be developed to control the damage to 'good' HDL cholesterol by Methyglyoxal (MG), formed from glucose in the body, which leads to an increased risk of heart disease
HDL cholesterol is considered ‘good’ cholesterol because it helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries.
Experts believe HDL acts as a scavenger, carrying LDL cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it is broken down and passed from the body.
Supported by funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the researchers discovered that MG destabilises ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and causes it to lose the properties which protect against heart disease.
Low levels of HDL are closely linked to heart disease, with increased levels of MG being common in the elderly and those with diabetes or kidney problems.
HDL damaged by MG is rapidly cleared from the blood, reducing the blood’s HDL content, or remains in plasma having lost its beneficial function.
Lead researcher Dr Naila Rabbani, of Warwick Medical School, said that MG damage to HDL causes a significant increase in the risk of heart disease.
High levels of MG, which is formed from glucose in the body occurs in diseases including diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease and obesity
She said: ‘MG damage to HDL is a new and likely important cause of low and dysfunctional HDL, and could count for up to a 10 per cent risk of heart disease.'
There are currently no drugs that can reverse low levels of HDL, but research revealing how exactly MG damages HDL helps scientists to come up with strategies for reducing MG levels, Dr Rabbani said.
She added: ‘By understanding how MG damages HDL we can now focus on developing drugs that reduce the concentration of MG in the blood, but it not only be drugs that can help.’
Another strategy could be to develop food supplements that decrease MG by increasing the amount of a protein called glyoxalase 1, or Glo 1, which converts MG to harmless substances, she said.
She concluded: ‘This means that in future we have both new drugs and new foods that can help prevent and correct low HDL, all through the control of MG.’
MG is formed from glucose in the body, and is 40, 0000 times more reactive than glucose.
It damages HDL at a functionally important site, causing the particle to become unstable.
MG levels are normally kept low in the body to maintain good health but they slowly increase with ageing.
This is because Glo1, which converts MG to harmless substances and protects us, slowly becomes worn out and is not replaced quickly.
Supplies of Glo1 depleting in the body lead to abnormally high levels of MG. This is called ‘dicarbonyl stress’ and occurs in diseases including diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease and obesity.
The study was published in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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