Word: hdl
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...density lipoproteins), are considered "good" because, far from being killers, they may actually play a vital role in preventing heart disease. They seem to act like biological vacuum cleaners, sucking up excess cholesterol in the bloodstream. It is because the 50-odd Cincinnati families possess unusually high levels of HDL that they are believed to have such a resilient blood chemistry -- and such long lives...
...Finnish study shows that raising HDL levels also leads to a decreased risk of heart disease. Each of the participants, while otherwise healthy, was chosen for his high overall cholesterol level. Starting in 1981, doctors gave half the test group gemfibrozil, which, among other effects, increases HDL while moderately lowering LDL. The other half received a placebo. More than 82,000 visits to the clinic and 500,000 blood tests later, the LDL levels of the men given gemfibrozil had dropped 8% and their HDL levels had risen more than...
Using complex statistical analyses, the Finns ruled out every potential cause for the benefit except higher HDL levels. Says Antonio Gotto, a cholesterol expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston: "The garden- variety person with cardiovascular disease, maybe 60% of heart-attack patients, has a low HDL level and only a moderately high LDL level. Changing HDL levels will be very important for them...
What the Helsinki study does make clear is that treatment to lessen the risk of heart attacks should concentrate as much on raising deficient HDL levels as on lowering dangerous LDL levels. That conclusion alone could point to longer life and better health for thousands each year...
...mg/dl are viewed as borderline cases and advised to watch their diet and be retested annually. Individuals with levels of 240 mg/dl or more are at high risk and require medical attention, including a second test to determine the ratio of "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL) to "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL). People in the borderline range who have additional risk factors, such as smoking, being male, or having a family history of heart disease, are advised to follow the same routine as those at high risk...