The most common type of cholesterol problem is a high LDL (low density lipoprotein) which is usually best treated with a statin, of which there are at least four on the market.

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ETC-216 is a slightly different version of a protein in high-density lipoprotein, the so-called good cholesterol.

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Researchers noted that prolonged sitting can cause a 90 percent reduction in a heart-healthy enzyme, lipoprotein lipase, which could explain the results.

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"I'm confused, " he says, because reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, is such a cornerstone of cardiology.

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For the company's finances, the most important new drug is torcetrapib, a new medicine designed to raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good cholesterol, " which is thought to help clear plaque from the arteries.

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It also lowered the so-called good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and it did not enter the cell, a characteristic Medford wanted hisdrug to have, because some of the oxidation process takes place within cellular membranes.

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High-density lipoprotein, better known as HDL or "good cholesterol, " has become a medical mainstay.

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But when Zetia was combined with a statin like Lipitor or Zocor, it lowered bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL), more than anything else out there.

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For a few years it thought it had one: good cholesterol, also known as high-density lipoprotein.

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