185 – Lipoprotein(a): the cholesterol you never heard about until recently

Lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) is suddenly all the rage because several drug companies are working on medications to lower this previously resistant form of cholesterol. Almost entirely genetic, unaffected by diet or lifestyle, it has numerous studies linking it to heart disease and aortic valve calcification. But it may not be the ticking time bomb some influencers like to claim.

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Editor:    Robyn Flynn

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Obviously, Chris is not your doctor (probably). This podcast is not medical advice for you; it is what we call information.

References:

1. The genetic nature of Lp(a) levels: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1386087/

2. Prevalence of elevated Lp(a) in 500,000 US patients https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27659098/

3. Prevalence of elevated Lp(a) in 2.9 million Chinese adults https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40266173/

4. Prevalence of elevated Lp(a) in the INTERASPIRE study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40436467/

5. Variation of Lp(a) by sex: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27659098/

6. One of the many studies linking Lp(a) to cardiovascular disease https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33115266/

7. High Lp(a) and aortic stenosis: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1109034

8. FH and Lp(a) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32466883/

9. The ongoing Lp(a) trials https://familyheart.org/lpa-clinical-trials