Low levels of good cholesterol risk for heart disease

According to the latest research reducing the amount of "bad cholesterol" (LDL - low density lipoprotein cholesterol) in the blood is incidental if the proper amount of "good cholesterol" (HDL - high density lipoprotein cholesterol) is not present.

An international team of researchers suggests that having the right amount of good cholesterol is very important in reducing the risk of heart disease.

A study conducted by Dr. Philip Barter and colleagues at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, examined 9,700 patients taking the statin medication Lipitor.

The researchers found that the higher a patient's HDL, the lower were their chances of having a major cardiovascular event such as a stroke or heart attack.

Dr. Barter says the finding is important as it demonstrates very clearly that the risk is real when HDL levels are too low and doctors should not ignore low HDL levels even if they are treating people with statins.

Dr. Barter says a HDL which remains low needs to be treated.

That HDL can provide protection against heart attacks and stroke is not news to doctors.

Experts suspect that HDL cleans up the bad LDL in the body.

The researchers say there has been much debate over the significance of low HDL and it is associated with a substantial increase in risk.

Raising levels of HDL is however no easy task as the only drug that achieves that, Niacin, has adverse effects and efforts to develop medications that increase HDL cholesterol levels have to date been unsuccessful.

Dr. Barter suggests the only effective alternative at present is to 'become lean and very active'.

Dr. Barter believes it might be possible to lower the risk of heart disease and stroke by 40-50% by aggressively lowering levels of LDL but if a drug were developed which boosted HDL levels the remaining risk could be cut down by another 50%.

The researchers say the amount of "good cholesterol" in the blood remains an important marker for heart disease regardless of how much "bad cholesterol" is lowered.

The study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.