HDL AND LDL
ANCHOR LEAD: HDL CHOLESTEROL REMAINS IMPORTANT, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
There’s no question that too much LDL, or low density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a killer. That’s what statins help to lower. But more evidence continues to mount regarding the protective powers of high HDL. Rick Lange, chief of clinical cardiology at Johns Hopkins, explains.
LANGE: If your LDL is low, does HDL really matter? And in this study in the New England Journal of Medicine of about 10,000 individuals, who received a medication to lower their LDL cholesterol, to very low levels, that is, below 70 milligrams per deciliter, HDL still mattered. That is, individuals who had a low HDL, even in the setting of a low LDL, were at risk for cardiovascular events, compared to those who had elevated HDL levels. :27
Lange says the best ways to increase your HDL are weight loss, exercise, and an alcoholic drink each day. I’m Elizabeth Tracey reporting.
