No good cholesterol for postmenopausal women?
Study suggests doctors need to rethink benefits of HDL cholesterol
So-called “good cholesterol” may not always be good for heart health, according to a study of 1,138 older women led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.
They found that post-menopausal factors might have an impact on the heart-protective qualities of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), regarded as a benign form of cholesterol that can lower the risk for heart disease. The new study indicates that HDL consumption may not actually translate into this lowered risk in older women.
The results, published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, bring into question the current use of HDL cholesterol to predict heart disease risk, particularly for women.
HDL is a family of particles found in the blood that vary in size and cholesterol content. Previous research has demonstrated the heart-protective features of HDL cholesterol due to its ability to carry fats away from the heart, reducing the build-up of plaque and lowering the potential for cardiovascular disease.
"The results of our study are particularly interesting because total HDL cholesterol is still used to predict cardiovascular disease risk," said lead author Dr Samar R. El Khoudary.
"This study suggests that clinicians need to take a closer look at the type of HDL in middle-aged and older women because higher HDL cholesterol may not always be as protective in postmenopausal women as we once thought. High total HDL cholesterol in postmenopausal women could mask a significant heart disease risk that we still need to understand.”
This story was originally published in the Global Health and Travel issue of October-November 2018.
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