Good cholesterol can cause death, claims a new study
New Delhi : While most of us know that good cholesterol is good for heart, a new study claims that it can also increase the chance of heart attack and death. The study came up with the findings which show that a person with high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol levels of 41-60 mg/dl (milligrams per decilitre) had the lowest risk of heart attack or cardiovascular death. However, if a person has very high level ((greater than 60 mg/dl) of HDL cholesterol) then he/she may be high risk of stroke and cardiac arrest leading to death.
The study has raised several questions in the mind of health-conscious people. If you are among them then relax yourself by knowing how much is too much for your health.
People with HDL cholesterol levels greater than 60 mg/dl had a nearly 50 per cent increased risk of dying from a cardiovascular cause or having a heart attack compared to those with HDL cholesterol levels 41-60 mg/dl.
"It may be time to change the way we view HDL cholesterol. Traditionally, physicians have told their patients that the higher your 'good' cholesterol, the better," said Marc Allard-Ratick, from the Emory University in Atlanta, US. However, the results from this study and others suggest that this may no longer be the case," he added.
The side-effect of very high good HDL cholesterol remain consistent after controlling other risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, smoking, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol, as well as other factors such as alcohol intake, race, and sex.
During the study, researchers have investigated the relationship between HDL cholesterol levels and the risk of heart attack and death in 5,965 individuals, most of who suffer from heart problems. The methodology, study and findings were presented at the he ESC Congress 2018, the annual conference of the European Society of Cardiology in Munich, Germany.
To add more, it’s worth mentioning that HDL cholesterol has been considered "good" because the HDL molecule is involved in the transport of cholesterol from the blood and blood vessel walls to the liver and ultimately out of the body, thereby reducing the risk of clogged arteries and atherosclerosis, as explained by the researchers.
