Cholesterol is a fat that is needed for many functions in the body, but too much of it in the blood causes hardening of the arteries or “atherosclerosis”. It is stuck onto a protein to make it soluble in blood. One of these proteins is called “low- density” or LDL-cholesterol. It is regarded as “bad” because it is the one that causes atherosclerosis. High-density or HDL cholesterol is regarded as good because it carries cholesterol back to the liver to be got rid of. 

Irish researchers have confirmed the strong relationship between blood levels of “good” cholesterol and a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. High HDL cholesterol levels mean a lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke, unlike the “bad” type of cholesterol known as LDL.

Prof Ian Graham and Dr Marie – Therese Cooney from the Department of Cardiology at the Meath/ Adelaide hospital at Tallaght have established the relationship is especially strong in older women. It is also “independent” in that its effect cannot be explained away by any other factors. Although their research has established that adding HDL cholesterol to existing cardiac risk scoring systems only modestly improves their accuracy, it can be helpful in “re-classifying” people which may help to prevent over- or under-treating people at moderate levels of risk. Their research was part – funded by the Irish Heart Foundation.