CNN
—
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (often called “good” cholesterol) may not be as helpful in predicting and protecting against heart disease as once thought . health.
Studies in the 1970s found that high levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. This association has since been widely accepted and used in heart disease risk assessment. However, that study included only white Americans.
now, research A paper published Monday in the American College of Cardiology found that low levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with an increased risk of heart attacks in white adults, but the same was not true for black adults. did. We also did not find that higher HDL cholesterol levels were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in either group.
“It’s widely accepted that low HDL cholesterol levels are detrimental regardless of race. Our study validated those assumptions,” said senior author of the study, Portland, Oregon. said Natalie Pamir, Associate Professor, Knight Cardiovascular Institute, University of Health Sciences. news release“In the future, doctors may not blame you for having high HDL cholesterol levels.”
The researchers used data from thousands of people enrolled in the Reasons for Geographical and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. Participants were aged 45 or older at the time they enrolled in the program between 2003 and 2007, and their health status was analyzed over an average of 10 years.
Researchers found that high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides were “moderately” predictive of heart disease risk in both black and white adults.
However, they suggest that more research is needed to understand the causes of racial differences in the association between HDL and heart disease risk.
Meanwhile, current clinical assessments of heart disease risk “could misclassify the risk of black adults and impede optimal cardiovascular disease prevention and management programs for this group,” they wrote.
CNN medical correspondent Tara Narula, Ph.D., associate director of the Lenox Hill Women’s Heart Program, said the study “requires more race- and ethnic-specific research, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. I am emphasizing that,” he said. In addition, this research should continue to educate that high levels of HDL are not a free pass and the focus should be on controlling elevated LDL and other known markers of increased cardiovascular risk. emphasizes that there is ”