‘Good’ Cholesterol Levels Reduce Heart Attack, Stroke Risk Among Diabetes Patients

Raising high density lipoprotein levels (HDL), known as “good” cholesterol, might possibly reduce heart attack and stroke risk in type 2 diabetes patients, a new study has shown.

During the study, a team of researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, examined the medical records of 30,067 patients with diabetes over an eight-year period.

The results showed that individuals who improved their HDL levels (approximately 22%) during this time were 8% less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke compared with those whose HDL levels remained the same.

Similarly, individuals whose “good” cholesterol levels decreased were shown to be 11 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular complications.

Because the study was observational, no specific therapy was used to boost good cholesterol levels. Many of the patients were taking anti-cholesterol medications known as statins to lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels.

“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that raising HDL levels may be an important strategy for reducing heart attack risk,” said Gregory Nichols, lead study author and senior investigator at Kaiser Permanente.

According to the study, which was published in The American Journal of Cardiology, people can raise their good cholesterol levels without medication by keeping their weight down, changing their diet, avoiding tobacco smoke, and increasing exercise.

via Web MD