‘Good’ cholesterol reduces heart attack risk for diabetic patients

Increasing “good” cholesterol levels reduces the risk of people with diabetes suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study.

Heart attack and stroke risk increased when “good” cholesterol levels went down, researchers found.

Raising levels of high-density lipoproteins – HDL cholesterol – reduced the risk for heart attack and stroke among patients with diabetes, claimed the report. The study, one of the largest of its kind, examined the medical records of more than 30,000 people with diabetes and also found that patients whose HDL levels decreased had more heart attacks and strokes. Researchers studied patients with diabetes because they are more prone to heart disease with a lifetime risk as high as 87 per cent.

Lead author Dr Gregory Nichols, of the Kaiser Permanente Centre for Health Research in the US, said: “Our study adds to growing evidence that raising HDL levels may be an important strategy for reducing heart attack risk.”

Co-author Dr Suma Vupputuri said: “This is promising news for patients with diabetes, who already have an increased risk for heart problems. Raising their good cholesterol may be one more way for these patients to reduce their risk.”