You’ve heard about the good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, right? There’s the one that helps you fight heart disease – that’s the good cholesterol. Well, it’s not simple as that. A new Dutch study suggests that high-density lipoprotein – the medical name for the good cholesterol – can increase the inflammatory response of certain immune cells, which can counteract its anti-inflammatory effect.
Key Takeaways:
- This pro-inflammatory effect induced by HDL showed enhanced pathogen protection, the researchers said.Lung macrophages ingested disease-causing bacteria upon exposure to HDL.
- On the other hand, mice with low HDL levels were impaired at clearing these bacteria from the lungs.
- The results demonstrate that HDL’s pro-inflammatory activity supports the proper functioning of macrophage immune responses.
“Although well associated with lowering cardiovascular disease risk high-density lipoprotein (HDL) — known as good cholesterol — may not always be able to protect against heart disease.”
https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/why-good-cholesterol-may-fail-to-protect-against-heart-disease-4384822/&ct=ga&cd=CAIyGjM5ZjM5OTY2MWYzZGRiYzA6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNFYI36LSMjk7jj6ypdEqJCxIakT1A