Excess levels of high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol HDL above 80 mg per deciliter of blood can be harmful to type 1 diabetic women. This research finding was discovered by scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in June 2010. They were presented at the 70th scientific session of the American Diabetes Association. This article tries to gain further insight on this topic.
Knowledge Gained from Research on Good Cholesterol HDL:
- HDL levels lower than 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women respectively is considered to be risky.
- This form of cholesterol is expected to be in high levels as it removes cell debris called plaque from the path ways of heart, reducing risk of heart ailments. Hence the name good cholesterol for it.
- The study found that incidences of heart disease in diabetic men and women increased when their HDL level was found to be less than 47.5mg /dL.
- As the level of HDL increased the risk of heart ailments decreased as expected in both men and women suffering from diabetes.
- But in diabetic women with excess levels of HDL, the risk increased to a large extent (above 80 mg/dL).
- Though researchers are unable to explain the mechanism behind this fact, they have concluded that too much of good cholesterol is harmful for women, especially if they suffer from type 1 diabetes.
What Research Studies Have to Say on the Relation Between Good Cholesterol HDL and Diabetes?
It was in December 2008, that researchers from the University of Chicago found that HDL in people suffering from chronic diseases like arthritis, kidney disease and diabetes, is different from HDL in normal healthy people. This result of dysfunctional HDL in chronic disease patients was published in December 2008 issue of the journal FASEB.
In December 2009, researchers at the University Hospital Zurich and the Medical School of Hannover in Germany and Switzerland found that the protective action of HDL against heart ailments is impaired in type 2 diabetic patients. Results of their findings were published in Circulation, which is the journal of American Heart Association.
