Cigarette after Valentine snuggle deadlie...(d in on CETP which manages a persons lev...)

When CETP has a common defect, it makes the protein controlling HDL work on overdrive. This overactive protein more furiously attacks HDL, breaking it into smaller particles that are more easily cleared from the blood, leading to decreased HDL levels and less good cholesterol.

Its this efficient removal of HDL caused by the CETP gene defect that puts people at higher risk of an early onset of heart disease, said Moss. The problem only gets worse for smokers who have this form of CETP, because smoking is known to also lower HDL levels. The cumulative effect is a dramatic drop in the age such smokers are likely to experience a heart attack about a dozen years earlier than someone who also has the variant but does not smoke.

Moss added that the research also helps explain why some heavy smokers appear to beat the odds when it comes to heart disease.

If youre a smoker and you dont carry the CETP variation, you have the same risk for heart disease as a non-smoker carrying the same gene, he said. These smokers can thank their lucky genes for not suffering heart attacks at a young age.

Moss conclusions are based on patients enrolled in the THROMBO Study, a multi-center trial that collected blood samples and medical histories from patients who had suffered their first heart attack in the 1990s. Researchers were able to retrieve frozen blood samples from 814 study participants to determine if they had the CETP gene deviation. Other interesting findings concerning smokers include:

• How much you smoke impacts your risk: Researchers found that heavy smokers those who smoke more than one pack a d
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