Continuing coverage: It’s known that cholesterol levels typically rise as people age and that high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. What’s less known is that cholesterol levels begin to decline the more a person ages. Recently, researchers from UTMB and the University of Kentucky found that differences in one gene, APOE, can influence a person’s cholesterol levels from midlife to late life. "The findings from this study have important implications to public health," said lead author Brian Downer. "To efficiently modify cholesterol, and as a result, disease risk, it is important to consider how APOE allele status influences cholesterol levels from midlife through late life.”