According to recent research supported by the National Institutes of Health, high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol—often referred to as the “good” cholesterol—might not be as helpful in forecasting the risk of heart disease and preventing it as previously assumed.
High concentrations of HDL cholesterol were linked to lower coronary heart disease risk, according to a study from the 1970s. This association has subsequently gained widespread acceptance and is utilized in heart disease risk assessments. However, that survey exclusively included White Americans.
Among Whites, low levels of HDL cholesterol did not increase the risk of heart attack
However, among White individuals, low levels of HDL cholesterol were not linked to an increased risk of heart attack, according to research published on Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Additionally, neither group’s risk of cardiovascular disease was found to be lower when HDL cholesterol levels were higher.
“It’s been well accepted that low HDL cholesterol levels are detrimental, regardless of race. Our research tested those assumptions,” said Nathalie Pamir, a senior author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at the Knight Cardiovascular Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, in a news release. “It could mean that in the future, we don’t get a pat on the back from our doctors for having higher HDL cholesterol levels.”
The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort collected data from thousands of participants. Participants’ health was examined for an average of 10 years and they had to be at least 45 years old when they joined the program between 2003 and 2007.
High levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol “modestly” predicted heart disease risk in both Black and White adults, according to the study.
Further research is required to determine factors for the ethnic variations in the relationship with HDL
However, they contend that further research is required to determine what factors account for the ethnic variations in the relationship between HDL and the risk of heart disease. Current clinical assessments for heart disease risk, they added, “may misclassify risk in Black individuals, possibly impeding optimal cardiovascular disease prevention and management strategies for this group.”
The study “highlights the very important need for more race- and ethnic-specific research and that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Additionally, this research emphasizes the continued need to educate that high levels of HDL are not a free pass and focus must be placed on controlling elevated LDL and other known markers of increased cardiovascular risk,” according to CNN Medical Correspondent Dr. Tara Narula, associate director of the Lenox Hill Women’s Heart Program.