Small LDL cholesterol size (caused by a high carbohydrate diet) is the highest risk factor for heart disease in type II diabetics

This study was published in Metabolism 2005 Feb;54(2):227-34

Study title and authors:

Low-density lipoprotein size and subclasses are markers of clinically apparent and non-apparent atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes.

Berneis K, Jeanneret C, Muser J, Felix B, Miserez AR.

Department of Internal Medicine and Central Laboratories, Basel University Hospital Bruderholz, Switzerland 4101. kaspar@berneis.ch

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15690318

This study investigated the significance of various risk factors in the development of heart disease in type II diabetics. The investigators measured ten different risk factors in 38 overweight type II diabetics, such as  body mass index, blood pressure, smoking, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol particle size.

Berneis found that small low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol particle size was most strongly associated with the highest risk of heart disease in type II diabetics.

Small particle sizes of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are caused by diets high in carbohydrate and low in fat see here and here.