Study Links Better “Good Cholesterol” Function With Lower Risk of Later Heart Disease
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of PennsylvaniaHDL, the “good cholesterol” helps remove fat from artery walls, reversing the process that leads to heart disease. Yet recent drug trials and genetic studies suggest that pushing HDL levels higher doesn’t reduce the risk of heart disease. Now, an epidemiological study shows that a person’s HDL function—the efficiency of HDL molecules at removing cholesterol—may be a better measure of coronary heart disease risk and target for heart-protecting drugs.