The HFE protein, which helps control iron, also turns down the liver’s ability to remove bad cholesterol from the blood — so when HFE is missing, more cholesterol gets cleared.

This study found that a gene called HFE, which helps control iron in the body, also tells liver cells to make less of the protein that clears bad cholesterol (LDL) from the blood. So when HFE isn’t working right, more cholesterol gets cleared — which explains why people with iron overload sometimes have less heart disease.