This pigment has a yellowish tint, which causes the yellow tinge of the skin in jaundice.

It is a natural byproduct of the breakdown of red blood cells, which takes place when blood cells age or become faulty.

Bilirubin is then processed by the liver; some of it is reabsorbed into the bloodstream, while the rest is eventually excreted through urine or feces.

Sometimes, due to various dysfunctional biological mechanisms, excess bilirubin is not processed and eliminated from the body. When this happens, it can lead to jaundice; sometimes, it indicates that there is a problem with the liver or pancreas.

Yet, according to researchers from a range of reputable institutions in the United States — including the Atlanta Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Georgia, Yale University in New Haven, CT, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and Boston University in Massachusetts — blood levels of bilirubin may also be used to determine a person's risk of cardiovascular problems.

Their findings, now published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, indicate that people with higher levels of bilirubin in the blood may be better protected against conditions and events such as heart failure, heart attack, or stroke.

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