Health
Boosting HDL may not be enough to prevent heart disease
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 10, 2007
While it's known as the good cholesterol, recent research has found that HDL isn't always on the bright side. It may be that simply boosting HDL levels is not sufficient to prevent heart disease, said the researchers who presented their findings Aug. 22 at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Boston.
In an analysis of the protein composition of HDL, researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle found 48 proteins, including 22 that play a role in cholesterol metabolism and 13 not previously known to exist in HDL.
Scientists have long suspected that there may be dysfunctional forms of HDL cholesterol that aren't heart protective. But the chemical composition of this cholesterol had been unknown.
A promising study designed to boost HDL levels was recently halted when it was found that the drug being tested caused an increase in deaths and heart problems.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/09/10/hlbf0910.htm.
