RE: RE: RE: RE: More from Esperion It's all about risk factors.
LDL is the primary lipoprotein that is taken up by the cells that end up causing atherosclerosis. In general, the more LDL in the blood, the higher the risk for atherosclerosis. However, it's more complex than that because LDL exists in several different sizes. Certain metabolic conditions (such as insulin resistance, diabetes, fatty liver) give rise to a great amount of the more atherogenic small LDL particles.
HDL as we all know does the RCT process. ANd HDL levels are inversely correlated with risk for atherosclerosis. So it is a balance between these two processes. I don't think anyone could factually state at this point in time that one is more important than the other. But if someone does have higher than normal LDL-cholesterol, it is advisable to get that under control.