Joe Maranville, Qiao Fan, Tien Yin Wong, Ching–Yu Chen and Heiko Runz

Only a few years ago, doctors would advise their patients that elevated blood levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), then termed the “good cholesterol”, were beneficial and would protect them against coronary heart disease. This belief has been called into question, however, as neither genetics nor clinical trials could demonstrate that raising HDL-C levels would protect against cardiovascular disease. Our study, published recently in the IJE, casts further doubt on this “not-so-good-anymore” cholesterol by showing that genetic variants that cause higher HDL-C levels also increase the risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Continue reading ““Not-so-good-anymore” cholesterol linked to vision loss in the elderly” →