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When it come to so - calledgood cholesterol , a new bailiwick suggests there could be truth to the musical phrase " too much of a well matter . "

The study , from a team of research worker in Atlanta , found that , in masses withcardiovascular disease , very high levels of " expert " cholesterin , or high - concentration lipoprotein ( HDL ) cholesterin , are associated with a substantially higher risk of heart attack and expiry from cardiovascular causes . In fact , the scientist found that people with very gamy levels of HDL cholesterol in their blood line have as high a risk of spirit flack and death from cardiovascular disease as those with very low levels .

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Thefindingswere present Aug. 25 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2018 in Vienna , and the study generator discuss their work at a word conference Aug. 27 . The findings have not yet been published in a compeer - go over journal . [ 9 New Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy ]

HDL cholesterol has long been hailed for its positive qualities in the consistence , including its power to clean artery and its association with a lower danger of cardiovascular disease .

" The HDL molecule is very complex and does a hatful of thing in the body , " said atomic number 82 study author Dr. Marc Allard - Ratick , an internal - medicine resident at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta . " One of the affair that it does is that it help to movebad cholesterolaway from the blood vessel wall and out of the organic structure . "

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What ’s more , " many study have shown an opposite association between the good cholesterin and adverse cardiovascular events likeheart approach , " Allard - Ratick said . Most of those earlier report , however , did n’t bet at patient role with very high levels of HDL in their rakehell , he said .

So , in the study , the investigator enrolled nearly 6,000 patients who had already been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease or had a high probability of having cardiovascular disease . The researchers measured the patient role ' HDL level , and collected data point about their medical history and scope .

The patient were divided into five groups , free-base on their blood HDL cholesterol levels : Less than 30 milligrams per deciliter ( mg / dL ) , 31 - 40 mg / dL , 41 - 50 mg / dL , 51 - 60 milligram / dL and more than 60 mg / dL. ( HDL cholesterin levels above 60 mg / dL are considered " optimal , " according to theMayo Clinic . )

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Then , the investigator tracked the patients for approximately four geezerhood . During the follow - up period of time , 769 patients either died of cardiovascular - related causes or had a kernel attack .

The sketch found that both the affected role with the highest layer and the small HDL cholesterin level had the highest chance of dying from cardiovascular disease or experience a kernel tone-beginning , Allard - Ratick told Live Science .

Specifically , patient withHDL cholesterin levelsabove 60 mg / dL had a 50 percent greater risk of a heart attack or give way from cardiovascular disease , compare with those with HDL cholesterol level between 41 and 60 mg / dL. And this increment was about the same as the risk of those with HDL cholesterol tier below 41 mg / dL , the researchers found .

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But it ’s unclear why the very high levels of HDL cholesterin were associated with such negatively charged gist , the research worker enounce .

Dr. Heinz Drexel , a cardiologist at the State Hospital Feldkirch in Austria who was not involved in the study , said that very high level of HDL cholesterin are much less common in patient with cardiovascular disease . Rather , these patient are much more likely to have miserable levels of HDL cholesterol , he said .

" We see very gamey levels of HDL , over 80mg[/dL ] , in only about 1 percent of the patient population , " Drexel told Live Science . " On the other hand , we see small levels below 40mg[/dL ] in about half of the patient . "

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Still , Drexel said that the study is meaning , as it ’s the first one to look at very in high spirits HDL cholesterol levels in people with cardiovascular disease .

" We have known for decades that low HDL cholesterol [ puts hoi polloi at jeopardy of ] developing cardiovascular disease , " Drexel say . “What is new is that the very high levels are also not so practiced , so we ca n’t say that this good cholesterol , this HDL cholesterol , is simply always adept . "

Allard - Ratick enjoin that the very high horizontal surface of HDL cholesterol observed in the study are more likely a answer of genetic science than of modus vivendi choices . Indeed , Allard - Rattick and Drexel said that at very eminent degree , the HDL molecules might not be perform their functions efficiently , ensue in a build - up of cholesterol in the blood . However , both agreed that more inquiry is needed to understand the risks as well as the underlie mechanism .

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