Ruuth M, Janssen LGM, Äikäs L, et al. - Researchers undertook this cross-sectional hypothesis-generating study to investigate if the proneness to aggregate is more in LDL of South Asians, and if this can be explained by variations in their LDL lipid composition. They found that healthy young South Asians exhibited a higher LDL aggregation susceptibility as compared with white Caucasians. Higher body fat percentage resulting in sphingomyelin-enrichment of LDL in South Asians may partially explain this. An increased LDL accumulation in the arterial wall of young South Asians because of the presence of sphingomyelin-rich, aggregation-prone LDL particles in these people was anticipated. This suggests the contribution of such LDL particles to increased risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease later in life in these individuals.