Conclusion
There’s little data to evaluate the healthfulness of very high HDL levels, but what data we have suggests that more is better.There’s also a plausible (to me) evolutionary story for why our optimal HDL levels may be far higher than the ones selected by evolution.
For most biomarkers I would trust evolutionary selection and let my body do whatever it wants; but for HDL I will make an exception. I think we will benefit from dietary tactics that raise HDL levels above the evolutionary norm. And this is especially true for those with infectious diseases.
So my judgment is: let’s be like Richard Nikoley and aim for high HDL. I’ll discuss how on Tuesday.
References
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