Researchers have challenged a tenet of modern medicine that higher levels of "good cholesterol" automatically boost cardiovascular health.

In a study published in The Lancet, investigators say they found no evidence to back the belief that higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol routinely reduce the risk of a heart attack.

HDL is monitored as much as "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) as a yardstick of dangerously clogged arteries.

China Daily-Agencies