Even 'good' cholesterol may be bad for you, according to
researchers in the US. Until now, doctors thought that good
cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) protected people
against heart disease, while low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was
harmful. But a team led by Craig Warden at the University of
California in Los Angeles says this is not always the case. In
earlier studies, other researchers have looked at a component of
HDL called apolipoprotein A-I, or apoA-I. When mice are
genetically altered to make large amounts of apoA-I, their heart
and blood vessels are found to be healthier than those of normal
mice. Specifically, the vessels show less narrowing, or
atherosclerosis. Warden and his colleagues genetically altered
mice so that their bodies produced high levels of the other main
protein in HDL, called apolipoprotein A-II, or apoA-II. Although
these mice were found to have raised HDL levels, which should be
beneficial, they ... To continue reading this article, subscribe
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