Originally published October 3 2005
Cardiologists want to raise the issue of good cholesterol
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have, in a recent study, pointed out a trend in public health toward lowering cholesterol, and based on the same research, these scientists responded to that trend by bringing positive focus to HDL, or good cholesterol.
HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol helps keep arteries clear of LDL (low density lipoprotein), one of the main culprits in causing heart attack as it since it allows plaque to build up and narrow the arteries.
In an article published online yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from John Hopkins University say that current guidelines in the US do not consider raising HDL cholesterol as a primary or secondary goal in reducing the risk of heart disease -- rather, they focus on lowing LDL cholesterol levels.
"We have reached a turning point in the prevention of coronary heart disease from an emphasis during the last 15 years on lowering LDL cholesterol levels to an emphasis in the next decade on raising levels of HDL cholesterol," said lead author Roger Blumenthal MD, associate professor and director of the university's Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center.
Rai said that there is definitely scope for functional food makers to turn there attention to HDL -- and indeed, it is already happening to some extent.
For example, fruit juice drinks containing higher levels of polyphenols are being launched to the market.
For the moment, however, they do not make claims about HDL cholesterol, since such claims need to be backed up by very rigorous research.
But Rai said that a study has just got underway to investigate how much the polyphenols in Pomegreat, a pomegranate juice drink endorsed by Heart UK, can help with HDL cholesterol.
Low HDL cholesterol is defined as less than 40 milligrams per deciliter of blood in men and 50 milligrams per deciliter in women.
Earlier this year Leatherhead Food International published a report on the market for heart health products.
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