Diet and drug therapy for lipoprotein (a)

Lipoprotein (a) has been implicated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Recently, considerable progress has been made toward understanding the importance of genetics in the regulation of plasma levels of lipoprotein (a). However, the issue as to whether lipoprotein (a) levels should be treated is still debated and furthermore the possibilities to influence lipoprotein (a) levels remain limited. The potential clinical importance of lipoprotein (a) has stimulated interest in the dietary and pharmacologic agents that affect this lipoprotein. At present, only a few of the existing therapeutic tools, such as nicotinic acid and estrogens, have been found to consistently affect lipoprotein (a).