After federal officials announced on May 26 the halting of a trial probing whether Abbott Laboratories' formulation of the B vitamin niacin can help prevent heart disease and strokes, scientists and physicians were left with an immediate follow-on question. Specifically, was this event just another nail in the coffin of the premise on which that trial was based, the so-called HDL Hypothesis?
On the surface, the basic conjecture, the idea that raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) can help prevent cardiovascular disease, is well-grounded in science. Studies have shown that people with high levels of HDL experience less heart disease. So that should mean that raising HDL, which shuttles cholesterol from artery walls back to the liver for excretion, should prevent cardiovascular problems as well. In recent years, that notion has become a big maybe, what might be re-titled as the HDL Conundrum.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Observations: The HDL Conundrum: What's Bad about Drugs for Good Cholesterol?
Author:Gary Stix
