HDL or “good” cholesterol is less beneficial than thought, study suggests

High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol – often referred to as the “good” cholesterol – may not be as helpful in predicting heart disease risk and protecting against it as previously thought, according to new research funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). United.

A study from the 1970s found that high levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease, a relationship that has since been widely accepted and used in heart disease risk assessments. However, only white Americans were included in this study.

now a search published on Monday (21) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology revealed that low levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with a higher risk of heart attack among white adults but the same did not happen between black adults 🇧🇷 Furthermore, higher levels of HDL cholesterol did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in either group.

Understand what raises cholesterol and the importance of controlling it for health

“It has been well accepted that low levels of HDL cholesterol are harmful, regardless of race. Our research has tested these assumptions,” said Nathalie Pamir, senior author of the study and associate professor of medicine at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, in a press release. “This could mean that, in the future, we won’t get a pat on the back from our doctors for having higher HDL cholesterol levels.”

The researchers used data from thousands of people who were enrolled in the Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Stroke (Regards) cohort. Participants were at least 45 years old when they enrolled in the program between 2003 and 2007, and their health was analyzed over an average of 10 years.

Experts found that high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides “modestly” predicted heart disease risk among black and white adults.

But they suggest that further studies are needed to understand what is driving the racial differences on the link between HDL and heart disease risk.

And meanwhile, current clinical assessments for heart disease risk “may misclassify risk in black adults, potentially hindering optimal cardiovascular disease prevention and management programs for this group,” they wrote.

The medical correspondent of CNN , Tara Narula, associate director of the Lenox Hill Women’s Heart Program, said the study “highlights the very important need for more race- and ethnicity-specific research and that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Furthermore, this research underscores the continued need to educate that high HDL levels are not a free pass and focus should be placed on controlling elevated LDL and other known markers of increased cardiovascular risk.”