HDL Not Always the Good Cholesterol We Think Says
University of Chicago Study
Researchers urge asking your doctor if your HDL is
the good or bad kind does it reduce inflammation
Dec. 1, 2008 Most senior citizens have learned
that a cholesterol reading with high HDL is good, while high LDL is
bad. HDL is the good one; LDL is the bad one. A new study from the
University of Chicago is now challenging what we have learned. These
researchers say the good cholesterol, HDL, has varying degrees of
quality and that poor quality HDL is actually bad for you.
Consumer Reports' chief medical adviser blogs
about recent study showing a cholesterol lowering drug - Crestor - cut
the risk of heart attack and stroke, even in people with normal
cholesterol.
HsCRP is one of the most widely studied markers of
inflammation in cardiovascular disease: statement from the director of
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
"For many years, HDL has been viewed as good
cholesterol and has generated a false perception that the more HDL in
the blood, the better," said Angelo Scanu, M.D., a pioneer in blood
lipid chemistry from University of Chicago and first author of the study
published in the December 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal.
"It is now apparent that subjects with high HDL are
not necessarily protected from heart problems and should ask their
doctor to find out whether their HDL is good or bad."
The researchers came to this conclusion after
reviewing published research on this subject.
In their review, they found that the HDL from
people with chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, kidney
disease, and diabetes is different from the HDL in healthy individuals,
even when blood levels of HDL are comparable.
They observed that normal, "good," HDL reduces
inflammation, while the dysfunctional, "bad," HDL does not.
What Is Cholesterol?
To understand high blood
cholesterol (ko-LES-ter-ol), it is important to know more about
cholesterol.
● Cholesterol is a waxy,
fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Your
body needs some cholesterol to work the right way. Your body
makes all the cholesterol it needs.
● Cholesterol is also
found in some of the foods you eat.
● Your body uses
cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that
help you digest foods.
Blood is watery, and
cholesterol is fatty. Just like oil and water, the two do not
mix. To travel in the bloodstream, cholesterol is carried in
small packages called lipoproteins (lip-o-PRO-teens). The small
packages are made of fat (lipid) on the inside and proteins on
the outside. Two kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol
throughout your body. It is important to have healthy levels of
both:
● Low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is sometimes called bad
cholesterol.
High LDL cholesterol leads to a buildup of cholesterol
in arteries. The higher the LDL level in your blood, the greater
chance you have of getting heart disease.
● High-density
lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is sometimes called good
cholesterol.
HDL carries cholesterol from other parts of your body
back to your liver. The liver removes the cholesterol from your
body. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your
chance of getting heart disease.
"This is yet one more line of research that
explains why some people can have perfect cholesterol levels, but still
develop cardiovascular disease," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D.,
Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
"Just as the discovery of good and bad cholesterol
rewrote the book on cholesterol management, the realization that some of
the 'good cholesterol' is actually bad will do the same."
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, approximately 17 percent of all American adults have
high total cholesterol, putting them at risk for heart disease.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance used by
the body to maintain the proper function of cell membranes and is
encapsulated within two types of proteins as it travels in the body -
low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL).
High levels of LDL or total cholesterol are an
indicator of increased risk for heart disease.
High blood cholesterol elicits no physical
symptoms, making medical screenings necessary for detection.
Background Information
The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org)
is published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology (FASEB) and is the most cited biology journal worldwide
according to the Institute for Scientific Information. FASEB comprises
21 nonprofit societies with more than 80,000 members, making it the
largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United
States.
FASEB advances biological science through collaborative advocacy
for research policies that promote scientific progress and education and
lead to improvements in human health.
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