El colesterol «bueno» puede ser malo.
A new study published in the European Heart Journal finds that «good» cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, may raise the risk of premature death.
By and large, the medical community suggest that higher levels of the good kind of cholesterol are desirable, as it may protect against heart disease and stroke. By contrast, it is the «bad» cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), that blocks the arteries.
The new research challenges this belief – at least in part. As the authors note, this is the first time that a study has drawn a connection between high HDL cholesterol levels and excessive mortality in the general population.
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Prof. Børge Nordestgaard, of the university’s Department of Clinical Medicine, is the corresponding author of the study, and Christian M. Madsen, of the university’s Department of Clinical Biochemistry, is the paper’s first author.
