By Rob Stein, Washington Post, Published: May 26Boosting “good” HDL cholesterol did not protect against heart attacks and strokes in an eagerly awaited study that was abruptly stopped when the surprising outcome became clear, officials said Thursday.
The federally funded study of more than 3,400 U.S. adults at high risk for heart attacks and strokes was halted 18 months early after researchers realized that the HDL-boosting drug niacin failed to cut the risk — as was hoped and suggested by many earlier, smaller studies, officials said. In fact, there was a hint that niacin might increase the risk for one type of strok
The findings are the latest blow to what had been one of the most promising hopes for reducing the toll from cardiovascular disease, which kills about 800,000 Americans each year, making it the leading cause of death in the United States.
“This sends us a bit back to the drawing board,” said Susan B. Shurin, acting director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the $52.7 million study. read more.