Blood protein increases heart disease risk (UK)

"A protein in the blood has been found to be associated with the same increased risk of heart disease as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Analysis of data from 79,000 people showed the protein, known as Lp-PLA2, also boosts the risk of stroke and early death, the Lancet reports. Drugs against the protein, which is involved in inflammation in blood vessels, are already being developed. But it remains to be seen whether such treatments cut rates of heart disease. The UK researchers who led the international study said Lp-PLA2 is carried in the blood alongside LDL or "bad" cholesterol" - BBC