HDL cholesterol may be known as the “excellent” kind, but a new research study suggests high levels of it are not constantly an advantage for women after menopause.
The research study, of almost 1,400 postmenopausal females, found that those with higher HDL levels were more most likely to show “plaques” in their carotid arteries. Those arteries supply blood to the brain, and plaque accumulation there signals an increased threat of both stroke and cardiovascular disease.
The study did not look at femaless rates of cardiovascular disease or stroke. However experts stated the findings add to proof that when it pertains to HDL, there can be too much of a great thing.
” We used to think, the higher the much better,” stated Dr. Karol Watson, director of the Womens Heart Health Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. “But weve been re-thinking HDL in current years.”
Watson, who was not connected to the research study, is likewise a member of the American College of Cardiologys Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases Section Leadership Council.
She said “everyone concurs” that low HDL– below 40 mg/dL– is bad.
Studies have actually also discovered that extremely high HDL is linked to difficulty, too. A 2016 research study of over 630,000 people discovered that females and males with extremely high HDL– above 90 mg/dL– were more most likely to pass away (of non-cardiovascular causes) during the study duration than those whose HDL was in the middle of the pack.
HDL is called the “good” cholesterol due to the fact that it does positive things, consisting of clearing fat from the arteries and ushering it to the liver to be removed.
Watson stated, research study recommends that HDL function can go awry when its environment is not ideal– such as when a person is overweight or has diabetes or other health conditions causing persistent inflammation in the blood vessels.
“HDL seems to be like a chameleon, changing based upon its surroundings,” Watson explained.
That basic idea may describe what was seen in this study, according to lead scientist Samar El Khoudary, an associate teacher at the University of Pittsburghs School of Public Health.
Throughout the menopause transition, she said, women see a sharp drop in estrogen, a heart-protecting hormone. They also go through modifications in body fat circulation, blood fats and other metabolic processes; that may result in chronic inflammation that could change the quality of HDL particles.
A higher HDL level is “not necessarily cardio-protective,” El Khoudary said. However, she included, its not always bad, either.
Its essential to look at the entire image, she said. If, for example, a female is regular weight, exercises, and does not have heart danger aspects like high LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind) or diabetes, a high HDL is “probably not something to worry about,” El Khoudary stated.
Watson concurred. On the other hand, she said, a high HDL level need to not make ladies or their doctors complacent.
“Never overlook a high LDL level even if the HDL is high,” Watson stated.
The bottom line, according to El Khoudary, is that ladies ought to pay even more attention to keeping a healthy lifestyle as they go through menopause.
On the research end, she stated, physicians require more exact procedures of HDL function– not just HDL cholesterol level.
El Khoudarys group likewise measured the research study individuals levels of HDL “particles”– which carry HDL cholesterol through the blood.
Overall, ladies with a higher number of “little” HDL particles had a lower risk of plaque accumulation. On the other hand, “large” particles revealed a more complex relationship: When women were just past menopause, those particles were connected to a heightened risk of artery constricting. However among fairly older ladies, high varieties of large particles were linked to healthier-looking arteries.
Thats due to the fact that it is if that all noises complicated.
For now, Watson stated, no one understands whether determining HDL particles works. “Until we comprehend more, we cant do anything with that information,” she said.
How high is “expensive” when it pertains to HDL? There is no recognized cutoff, Watson stated. In general, she included, there seems to be an HDL “sweet area” of around 60 to less than 80 mg/dL.
Again, Watson stated, you have to look at the entire person: If someone has risk elements for heart illness, a higher HDL number may be deceptive.
El Khoudary recently got funding from the U.S. National Institute on Aging to expand on this research.
The findings were released online July 19 in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
This material was initially released here.

Overall, ladies with a higher number of “small” HDL particles had a lower threat of plaque buildup. Amongst fairly older women, high numbers of large particles were linked to healthier-looking arteries.
How high is “too high” when it comes to HDL? There is no known cutoff, Watson stated. In general, she added, there seems to be an HDL “sweet area” of around 60 to less than 80 mg/dL.