Normal Levels of Good Cholesterol Lowers Risk of Heart Disease Later in Life

People with normal levels of good cholesterol in their blood are at a reduced risk of heart disease later in life as High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol as it helps in removing fat from the artery walls. The research led //by University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine explained that people whose blood has the highest measures of HDL cholesterol, had far fewer heart attacks and other heart disease events in the years to be followed, compared to those with the lowest HDL levels.

Dr.Daniel J. Rader, Senior author of the study, said that this is a definitive finding that HDL function, even in people who are still relatively young and healthy, does predict later heart disease events, which implies that therapies that boost HDL function might reduce risk.

The researcher examined frozen blood samples from the heart disease and control groups to determine their HDL function. They observed that those in the lowest third had 36 percent fewer heart attacks and other indicators of coronary heart disease during the follow up period.

Rader mentioned that the size, lipid content, and protein cargo of HDL particles can vary from person to person, and there is also some evidence for functional impairment of HDLs in heart disease and diabetes.



Source-Medindia