ot: HDL ‘Good Cholesterol’ Found Not to Cut Heart Risk - NYT

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/health/research/hdl-good-cholesterol-found-not\

-to-cut-heart-risk.html

Doubt Cast on the ‘Good’ in ‘Good Cholesterol’

By GINA KOLATA

The name alone sounds so encouraging: HDL, the “good cholesterol.” The

more of it in your blood, the lower your risk of heart disease. So

bringing up HDL levels has got to be good for health.

Or so the theory went.

Now, a new study that makes use of powerful databases of genetic

information has found that raising HDL levels may not make any

difference to heart disease risk. People who inherit genes that give

them naturally higher HDL levels throughout life have no less heart

disease than those who inherit genes that give them slightly lower

levels. If HDL were protective, those with genes causing higher levels

should have had less heart disease.

Researchers not associated with the study, published online

<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2960312-2/f\

ulltext>

Wednesday in The Lancet, found the results compelling and disturbing....

[Lancet article free online after registration]