Why some people have super low bad cholesterol
Low LDL cholesterol in individuals of African descent resulting from frequent nonsense mutations in PCSK9
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some people have spelling mistakes in a gene called PCSK9 that makes their body clean out bad cholesterol better.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some people have spelling mistakes in a gene called PCSK9 that makes their body clean out bad cholesterol better.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 532 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Cohen J, Pertsemlidis A, Kotowski IK, Graham R, Garcia CK, Hobbs HH
Related Content
Claims (5)
People with certain genetic changes that turn down a protein called PCSK9 tend to have lower 'bad' cholesterol their whole lives and are much less likely to get heart disease.
Loss-of-function mutations in the PCSK9 gene are associated with lifelong lower LDL cholesterol and a substantially reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
Some people of African descent have genetic changes in a gene called PCSK9 that seem to cut bad cholesterol levels by almost half—this might help explain why they have lower heart disease risk.
Two specific genetic changes that can affect heart health are much more common in African Americans than in white Americans.
Some people of African descent have natural changes in a gene called PCSK9 that seem to lower their cholesterol levels a lot.