University of Leicester researchers studied over 3,000 British men's DNA and found that 90 percent of male chromosomes belonged to two major groups—one of which, haplogroup I, increases the risk of coronary artery disease by 50 percent.
Dr. Maciej Tomaszewski, the team's lead researcher, said it was likely that the increased risk was caused by the gene's influence on the immune system and inflammatory responses.
"The human Y chromosome appears to play a role in the cardiovascular system beyond its traditionally-perceived determination of male sex," Tomaszewski said.
The results of the four-year study, which was published in The Lancet, found that the increased risk for men carrying the haplogroup I version of the Y chromosome was independent of factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking.
