According to the confirmations based on genetic testing by Danish researchers, high levels of a particular, oft-ignored kind of cholesterol, called lipoprotein (a), can result in an increased risk of heart attacks.

While lipoprotein (a) has been considered a contributory factor to cardiovascular risk for a long time, the new research presents the strongest substantiation thus far in identifying the atypical cholesterol as a heart attack risk-factor by itself.

Even though the clinical implications of the discovery are still quite ambiguous, researchers said people with higher levels of lipoprotein (a) had more chances of suffering from heart attacks. The levels of the little-known cholesterol - which are startlingly different in different individuals - can be determined with a simple blood test.

For the study, - published the Journal of the American Medical Association, June 10 issue - the Danish research team evaluated the genes of 45,000 men and women, who gave blood samples for the extensive countrywide survey beginning in 1976. The researchers tested the lipoprotein (a) levels in the samples of these people, and followed them till 2007.

Lead researcher Borge Nordestgaard of Copenhagen University Hospital, noted the conclusion of the study and the use of statins - drugs that reduce heart attack risk - saying: "We have shown that lipoprotein (a) is causing heart attacks. This study may explain why statins don't work for some people."