Higher HDL Levels May Help Lower Your Cancer Risk

The traditional view of how HDL benefits heart health is that it transports excess cholesterol from cells in the artery walls to the liver for reprocessing or excretion. "Recent studies also suggest that HDL may have beneficial functions related to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help protect against atherosclerosis, the process by which fatty deposits called plaques form in the artery walls," says Stanley Hazen, MD, Section Head of Preventive Cardiology at Cleveland Clinic.