Some HDL, or good cholesterol, may not protect against heart disease EurekAlert!, 05/08/2012

A new study by researchers has found that a subclass of high–density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so–called "good" cholesterol, may not protect against coronary heart disease (CHD) and in fact may be harmful. This is the first study to show that a small protein, apolipoprotein C–III (apoC–III), that sometimes resides on the surface of HDL cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease and that HDL cholesterol without this protein may be especially heart protective.