Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Too Much Good Cholesterol Is Dangerous

Good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL) is not completely free of health risks for the body. The latest study revealed that too much HDL has proved to be dangerous for patients with heart disease.

Research was initiated by scientists from Emory University Medical School in Atlanta. Findings have been presented at the 2018 European Community Cardiology Congress in Vienna, Austria, but have not been published in medical journals.

Good cholesterol or HDL has long been praised for its positive effects on the body, including the ability to clean arteries and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, in people who already have cardiovascular disease, the effect does not apply.

"High levels of good cholesterol actually make patients with cardiovascular disease more at risk of heart attack, even death. HDL molecules are very complex and do many things in the body," said the study's lead author, Dr. Marc Allard-Ratick.

The researchers draw conclusions after analyzing 6,000 patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or have a high likelihood of having it. In addition to measuring HDL levels, the team also listened to the medical history and health background of patients.

Participants were divided into five groups based on HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Then, researchers followed the patient's development for four years. Apparently, as many as 769 patients with high HDL died of having a heart attack.

Allard-Ratick said, patients with HDL cholesterol levels above 60 mg / dL were 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack or die of cardiovascular disease. However, researchers have not found a reason for high HDL levels to cause negative effects.

The team has the hypothesis that at very high levels, HDL molecules do not perform their functions efficiently, resulting in a buildup of cholesterol in the blood. However, more research is needed to understand the risks and mechanisms of the hypothesis, quoted from the Live Science page.

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