Vernon Davis, a notable NFL tight end who went on to surprise fans — and himself — by acting in major movies (“Gasoline Alley” and “A Day to Die”) and producing them as well, says, “Life is all about the unexpected.”
The news that HDL cholesterol (at least, a very high level) may not be heart-healthy is another example of life’s unexpected events! The surprising HDL study found that patients with cardiovascular disease had the greatest risk for troubles with either low (below 40mg/dL) or very high HDL-C levels (above 80mg/dL). Mid-range? HDL does its heart-friendly job of transporting cholesterol in the blood back to the liver so it can be flushed from your body.
Up until now, the guidelines said that an HDL of 60mg/dL or above provided the best protection against CVD. But this study found that folks with 80mg/dL and above had a 71% higher risk of dying from CVD compared with those with levels of 40 to 60mg/dL.
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To add more confusion, another study has found that too little HDL cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease in white, but not Black, adults.
So where does that leave you? If you have low HDL, talk to your doc. You may raise it to between 40mg/dL and 60 mg/dL by not smoking, physical activity, losing weight, eating healthy oils and drinking moderately. If you have HDL over 80? Drink less alcohol, eat a low-fat diet and ask your doc about any of your meds that may raise HDL.
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