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Raising “Good” Cholesterol
saves Heart
By Dr. Narinder Saini M.D.
For decades, heart experts have been telling Americans
that keeping their "bad" LDL cholesterol levels in check
is the key to preventing heart disease. But two new studies
suggest that concentrating on "good" HDL cholesterol levels
may be just as important -- and maybe more so -- in preventing
heart attacks. Good cholesterol, called HDL cholesterol,
protects the heart, but "most researchers ignore this
fact”, she says that is a costly oversight since "about
half of heart attack victims have normal LDL cholesterol."
says Henrietta Reicher-Reiss, MD,
Richard Krasuski of Wilford Hall Army Medical Center in
San Antonio says it is no surprise that HDL cholesterol
is a "stronger predictor" of heart attacks than LDL cholesterol.
In his study, 143 people with heart disease took either
one of 3 drugs that raises good cholesterol levels --
Lopid, niacin, and Questran -- or a placebo pill. Both
groups were also put on a cardiovascular workout program
and a heart-healthy diet. After two and half years of
treatment, the patients who received the HDL-targeted
drugs had an average 37% jump in HDL cholesterol levels,
says Krasuski. As an added benefit, "LDL cholesterol dropped
by 5% and total cholesterol was 16% lower. But the big
payoff was the difference in heart attacks: Patients taking
the HDL-targeted drugs had half as many heart attacks
and strokes as those taking a placebo.
In Reicher-Reiss' study of Sheba Medical Center in Tel
Hashomer, Israel., more than 3,000 patients were given
either 400 mg of bezafibrate -- another medicine that
targets good cholesterol daily or placebo. She says that
after more than eight years of treatment, patients who
regularly took the drug were significantly more likely
to be alive.
Richard Pasternak, MD, associate professor at Harvard
Medical School, says the studies are a wake-up call for
many cardiologists. "The emphasis has been on statins,
which reduce total cholesterol, significantly reduce LDL
cholesterol, and have a modest effect on HDL cholesterol.
These studies point out that statins are not the only
way to treat cholesterol and point out, again, the important
protective role of HDL cholesterol." |
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