Fine particles in traffic pollution tied to lower good cholesterol

Source: REUTERS

(Reuters Health) - People who live near sources of heavy traffic exhaust may be at higher risk of heart disease because the fine particles in this type of pollution lower levels of “good” cholesterol needed for healthy blood flow, a U.S. study suggests.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol helps curb the odds of heart disease by purging blood vessels of debris and lowering levels of triglycerides - dangerous fats that can make blood thicker, stickier and more prone to clots.

Researchers studied 6,654 adults and found people exposed to higher levels of fine and ultrafine particles in traffic pollution tended to have lower levels of HDL cholesterol in their blood.

“However, this was a fairly small effect - it wasn’t a dramatic lowering of HDL - so I don’t think this is a huge cause for alarm beyond what we already know about the dangers of air pollution,” said lead study author Griffith Bell of the University of Washington School of Public Health in St. Louis.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cholesterol-particle-pollution-idUSKBN17K23Z?utm_campaign=trueAnthem