High-density lipoprotein: why all the fuss?

The current search for new treatments to combat coronary heart disease (CHD) is centred on increasing HDL-cholesterol. The failure of the CETP inhibitor torcetrapib may force a rethink. This perspective briefly reviews the antiatherosclerotic properties of HDL and ways HDL-cholesterol concentration can be raised, but argues - in light of the fact that HDL-cholesterol concentration does not reflect the protective properties of HDL particles - that this approach is flawed and a different approach, targeting know antiatherosclerotic components of HDL, is required.