Study suggests that HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol is less beneficial than previously thought, especially for Black adults

High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol – often referred to as the “good” cholesterol – may not be as useful in predicting the risk of heart disease and protecting against it as previously thought, according to new research funded by the National Institutes of Health.   A study from the 1970s found that high levels of HDL cholesterol concentration were associated with low coronary heart disease risk, a link that has since been widely accepted and used in heart disease risk assessments. However, only White Americans were included in that study.   Now, research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that low levels of HDL cholesterol were associated with higher risk of heart attack among White adults, but the same was not true among Black adults. Also, higher levels of HDL cholesterol were not found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for either group.   The researchers used data from thousands of people who were at least 45 years old when they enrolled in the program between 2003 and 2007, and their health was analyzed over an average of 10 years.   The researchers found that high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides “modestly” predicted heart disease risk among both Black and White adults.   But they suggest that more work is needed to understand what’s driving the racial differences in the link between HDL and heart disease risk.   And in the meantime, current clinical assessments for heart disease risk “may misclassify risk in Black adults, potentially hindering optimal cardiovascular disease prevention and management programs for this group,” the researchers wrote.