Word: hdl
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...learned about cholesterol. Plaques are more likely to form when blood cholesterol is high, and particularly when the cholesterol takes the form known as "low-density lipoprotein" (LDL). By lowering the levels of cholesterol in the blood or by ensuring that most of it occurs as "high density lipoprotein" (HDL), the risk of heart attack can be substantially reduced. Although, several drugs have been developed to improve blood cholesterol levels, most have been associated with severe side effects...
Alderman and his colleagues gave patients up to two grams of niacin--more than a hundred times the recommended daily allowance of the vitamin--and found that blood cholesterol improved in 90 percent of the cases. The drug was particularly effective at raising levels of HDL (the type of cholesterol that is protective against heart disease), but it also lowered total cholesterol levels in patients taking higher doses of the drug. In general, the researchers reported, the more niacin a subject took, the greater was his improvement...
...main culprit, LDL (for low-density lipoprotein), is the body's oil truck, circulating in the blood, delivering fat and cholesterol to the cells. Studies have shown that the higher the level of LDL, the greater the risk of atherosclerosis. Another type of cholesterol package is called HDL (for high-density lipoprotein). It appears to play a salutary role, helping remove cholesterol from circulation and reducing the risk of heart disease. Shragai's goal was to lower his level of LDL and raise his HDL...
...reasons that are still under study, cholesterol levels are influenced by a number of life-style factors. For instance, regular exercise can significantly raise the level of protective HDL. Alas, a couple of push-ups a day will not do the trick, says Dr. Josef Patsch of Houston's Baylor College of Medicine: "You need sustained aerobic exercise for 20 minutes at least four times a week to really benefit." A less strenuous way to raise HDL levels may be to have a daily shot or two of alcohol. "The evidence is indirect," reports Epidemiologist Stephen Hulley...
Gender also has an effect. Males and females start out with the same cholesterol levels, but around puberty boys experience a 20% to 25% drop in protective HDL and an ominous rise in LDL. This difference, researchers believe, is probably the reason why there are 60% fewer deaths from heart attacks in women than in men in the U.S. Race seems to play a part in how well the body handles cholesterol. Dr. Gerald Berenson, director of a long-term study in Bogalusa, La., has found that the changes in boys at puberty are more drastic in whites than...