Some HDL (Good Cholesterol) May Be Bad, Study Shows
For many years now we have thought that high levels of HDL or the good cholesterol were indicative of a healthy lipids profile or blood test. Well, it seems that researchers have uncovered yet another mystery.
Researchers from the University of Chicago challenge the conventional wisdom that simply having high levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and low levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) is necessary for good heath. A study published in the December 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that you may want to rethink this notion.
Good cholesterol has varying degrees of quality and that poor quality HDL is actually bad for you. Dr. Angelo Scanu, a pioneer in blood lipid chemistry from University of Chicago points out, “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. 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.
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