New research shows that levels of remnant particle cholesterol, also known as “ugly cholesterol,” in the blood are much higher than experts previously thought.

This research explored the link between remnant cholesterol and cardiovascular disease and came to an alarming conclusion.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark led the study.

Their findings now appear in the journal Atherosclerosis.

Hopes are high that this finding could have a positive impact on both the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease in the future.

The team used data from the Copenhagen General Population Study, which included cholesterol specific test results from around 9,000 people.

They found that equal parts of all of these types of cholesterol make up total cholesterol, which means that the impact of having higher levels of ugly cholesterol is much greater than scientists previously thought.

“Our results show that the amount of remnant cholesterol in the blood of adult Danes is just as high as the amount of the bad LDL [low density lipoprotein] cholesterol,” says chief physician Prof. Børge Nordestgaard, from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital.

“We have previously shown that remnant cholesterol is at least as critical as LDL cholesterol in relation to an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, and [this] is therefore a disturbing development.”

Prof. Børge Nordestgaard