HDL Cholesterol May Not Be As ‘Good’ As First Thought, Study Shows
13 May 2016 --- New research shows that the heart health benefits of HDL, the 'good' cholesterol, may have been hyped-up.
This new study shows, for the first time, that HDL's heart disease protection depends on the levels of two other blood fats (lipids) associated with heart disease. Scientists from the University of Maryland Medical Center say that if these fats are not within normal ranges, even a high HDL may not be protective.
For years, physicians have told patients that HDL (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) helps protect them from cardiovascular disease (CVD). And the higher the number, the more the protection. HDL, often considered an independent predictor of heart disease, has been dubbed the "good" cholesterol, thanks to its protective effects.
Can the level of HDL by itself determine the risk of a person developing heart disease?
What happens to the risk if LDL and TG are abnormal?
The researchers looked at study participants with both low and high HDL levels, and
Those who also had normal and high levels of LDL and TG
HDL was not uniformly predictive of cardiovascular risk
TG and LDL modified the incidence of CVD in both low- and high-level HDL
Compared with isolated low HDL, the CVD risk was 30-60 percent higher in the presence of high levels of LDL, TG or both
High HDL was not associated with reduced CVD risk if TG and LDL were above 100 mg/dL
