"Good" cholesterol protects against coronavirus

Scientists from the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine have analyzed data from 9005 people over 40 years of age that were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using the UK Biobank database. In this study, the researchers took into account the participants' body mass index, blood count, metabolic disorders and alcohol consumption.

A high BMI was associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 as well as coronavirus infection, but only before high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were taken into account in the analysis. The association between BMI and severity of infection with the introduction of the variable ceased to be significant, and high levels of "good" cholesterol reduced the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The same relationship has been shown by the main protein component of "good" cholesterol – apolipoprotein A1. The scientists have linked type 2 diabetes and increased levels of glycated hemoglobin – while type 1 diabetes had no effect on the likelihood of contracting the virus. They also failed to find a link between the risk of contracting coronavirus and the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), as well as other harmful lipoproteins. Scientists have not fully explained the results, but they are ready to conduct further research and find out how HDL can provide protection against SARS-CoV-2.

Source: very well health