Study Finds Association Between “Good” Cholesterol and Premature Death

University of Copenhagen researchers have apparently found that
extremely high levels of “good” cholesterol, or high-density
lipoprotein (HDL), may be associated with premature death rates.
Christian M. Madsen, et al., “Extreme high high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol is paradoxically associated with high
mortality in men and women: two prospective cohort studies,”
European Heart Journal, August 21, 2017. The medical
community has generally accepted that higher levels of HDL may
protect against cardiovascular disease and that “bad” cholesterol,
or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), contributes to atherosclerosis,
leading to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

The study followed more than 116,000 people for an average of six
years and found that men with extremely high levels of HDL had a
106 percent higher chance of dying prematurely than men with
normal levels, while women with high levels had a 68 percent
higher chance of premature death. Extremely high levels were
defined as ≥3.0 millimoles per liter of blood for men and ≥3.5
millimoles for women. Mortality rates for men with “very high”
levels of HDL were 36 percent higher than men with medium
levels, which were defined as 1.9 millimoles per liter.

The study authors noted that they “could not determine if the
association between extreme high HDL cholesterol and higher
mortality was causal.” Moreover, because both studies observed
subjects who were included because of “previous contact with the
health care system that included obtainment of a lipid panel,” the
authors noted that the “results of these studies are not necessarily
representative for the general population.”

Issue 645