Doctors have for years been prescribing statins in order to promote ‘good’ HDL cholesterol—but scientists have discovered it’s not so good after all and may be a cause of heart disease.
For decades, medicine has believed that only ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol causes heart disease by building up around artery walls. But scientists from Houston Methodist Research Institute have discovered that both types of cholesterol have two forms—‘free’ and ‘bound’. The free type could be the real culprit, whether it’s from LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.
In a research study, the scientists discovered that HDL with high amounts of free cholesterol is ‘dysfunctional’, because it accumulates in white blood cells known as macrophages, and this can cause heart disease.
The discovery is a complete reversal of current theory that holds that HDL is beneficial and removes excess cholesterol from tissues.
It’s the start of a new path for treating heart disease. New diagnostics and treatments need to be developed, the researchers say, and the emphasis needs to shift to HDL-lowering therapies and away from just reducing LDL levels.
So there’s no such thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol, but only the amount of ‘free’ cholesterol in either of them.
Stay Healthy,
Janice