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Raising HDL cholesterol levels: a flight of Icarus?

Results of the ARBITER 6–HALTS trial indicate a superiority of the lipid-modifying agent nicotinic acid over ezetimibe for the treatment of atherosclerotic lesions. These findings could have substantial implications for patients worldwide who remain at moderate to high risk of cardiovascular complications because of low levels of HDL cholesterol. But is the evidence substantiated?

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Correspondence to Damiano Rizzoni.

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Rossi, G., Rizzoni, D. Raising HDL cholesterol levels: a flight of Icarus?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 6, 245–246 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.44

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