My eCorner

 LONDON: Scientists have cracked the genetic secrets of high cholesterol, paving the way for new drugs to beat heart disease.

Britain's biggest killer, heart disease affects 2.5million people and claims more than 250 lives each day.

The amount of artery-clogging cholesterol and other fats in the blood greatly affects the odds of heart attacks and other problems, but until now, little was known about the genes that control their levels.

More than 100 researchers from 17 countries, including the UK, studied the DNA of more than 100,000 people of European ancestry.

This flagged up 95 genetic changes linked to blood fats, or lipids, and heart disease, the journal Nature reports.

Further experiments showed that many of the genes also contribute to heart problems in other ethnic groups from around the world.

Working out exactly how these genes raise or lower cholesterol and other harmful fats could lead to new drugs that could benefit millions.

Although statins are widely used to lower cholesterol, side-effects lead to many stopping taking them, and some doctors say that while the drugs benefit men, there is scant evidence they ward off heart disease in women.

Researcher Dr Christopher O'Donnell, of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in the US, said: 'The new findings point us to specific genetic signposts that allow us to understand why many people from all walks of life have abnormal levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids that lead to heart disease.

'What's really exciting about this work is that we are moving from discovery to understanding brand new information about how genes alter the lipids that lead to heart disease.'

Francis Collins, one of the world's leading geneticists, said: 'Genetic studies that survey a wide variety of human populations are a powerful tool for identifying hereditary factors in health and disease.

'These results help refine our course for preventing and treating heart disease, a health problem that affects millions.'

Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said that although much more work was needed to understand what the genes do and how they work together, such research is crucial in beating heart disease.

He added: 'Although this is just the first step down a long road, the good news is that the more we understand about cholesterol regulation, the more likely it is that new drugs will be developed to prevent heart disease.'In Britain, there are around 230,000 heart attacks a year - the equivalent of one every two minutes. Around a third are fatal.

Statins are prescribed to six million Britons judged to be significant risk of a heart attack or stroke, but there have been calls for everyone over the age of 50 to receive them.

It is argued that wider access could save hundreds of thousands of lives while also saving the NHS billions a year.