New study shows how sugar turns ‘good’ cholesterol into bad

A sugar-derived substance could be responsible for turning so-called 'good' cholesterol into a 'bad' or unhealthy form.

The University of Warwick research examined methylglyoxal (MG), which is formed from glucose in the body but is 20,000 times more reactive, and found that it can cause damage to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

By disrupting amino acids at functionally important sites in HDL, the particle becomes unstable, undermining its ability to remove excess levels of 'bad' low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from the body.

Since low levels of HDL are closely linked to heart disease and increased levels of MG are common in the elderly and those with diabetes or kidney problems, this could be a promising new area for study.

Lead researcher Dr Naila Rabbani of Warwick Medical School said: "In future we [could] have both new drugs and new foods that can help prevent and correct low HDL, all through the control of MG."

HDL carries cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, where it is either broken down or passed out of the body as a waste product. By contrast, LDL takes cholesterol from the liver to cells that need it, but if there is too much, it can build up in the artery walls, causing disease.