Originally published November 27 2005
Scottish researcher discovers HDL cholesterol predicts the effectiveness of statins
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Christopher J. Packard, a professor of vascular biochemistry at the University of Glasgow, found that low levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, proved a better indicator of the effectiveness of statins in patients older than 70 than levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.
When older people are given statins, their levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may be a more important indicator of cardiac risk than levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, new research suggests.
Prescribing a statin to people over 70 cut their risk of heart disease and death, no matter what their LDL levels were, Scottish researchers report in the Nov. 8 issue of Circulation.
A link between low HDL levels and arterial inflammation, which has emerged as a risk factor for heart disease, might explain the results, Packard said.
Another possibility is that statin treatment affected the balance between the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries, which is mediated by LDL cholesterol, and the removal of those deposits, which is mediated by HDL cholesterol, the researchers said.
All had a history of cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke, or were at high risk for these events due to conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking.
Patients who entered the study with low blood levels of HDL -- below 45 milligrams per deciliter -- and then took the statin were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or die of heart disease in the following 3.2 years, compared to those who did not receive the statin.
In contrast, patients who entered the study with high blood levels of HDL did not seem to receive any benefit from the statin.
According to Packard, learning the exact reason for the reduction in risk could help patients.
"If statin therapy could be targeted to at-risk elderly with low HDL levels who would benefit most, fewer people would have to be treated," he said.
The study used a single drug, pravastatin (Pravachol), but the results probably apply to all statins, Packard said.
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