High cholesterol carries a major risk for heart disease, so many people control cholesterol through diet and statin drugs.
But a new study from Robarts Research has identified another risk factor for women in particular, that lies in their genes.
While high cholesterol is a common problem, many women could be especially vulnerable to the effects of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, the so-called bad cholesterol tied with heart disease.
Dr. Ross Feldman, a Robarts cardiac researcher, says "These women are about 30 per cent of the population."
He and his team looked at how women process cholesterol - and how that's affected by estrogen.
"It's opening a whole new view on how estrogen is regulating cholesterol levels," he says.
For most women, estrogen has a protective effect on the heart, but for many, a common genetic variant involving what's known as the G-Protein Estrogen Receptor or GPER disrupts the normal process, leading to increased LDL levels.
"LDL attaches to receptors and goes into the liver and is broken down...To get rid of bad cholesterol circulating in the blood you need to have functioning LDL receptors which clears the LDL from the blood."
The research could help explain why post-menopausal women with lower estrogen levels are at greater risk for heart disease.
"It's saying we should be looking at sex-specific approaches to treating cholesterol and treating all of the risks for heart disease," Feldman says.
An earlier Robarts study linked the same genetic variant to high-blood pressure and while some women may want to get genetic testing, doctors say the tried and true heart health advice still stands.
Feldman says "More important than knowing whether or not you have the good or bad GPER gene is knowing whether you have good or bad blood pressure and cholesterol."
