This is an interesting study that points to one change in how the body processes cholesterol after a SAR2/covid episode, and it may shed light into a disturbance that increases the risk of cardiovascular issues.
“Cardiovascular complications in the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome: A novel perspective down the road.” Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 6 Aug 2022, Full Article.
HDL is called the ‘good’ cholesterol. It is involved in sponging up excess LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and then takes it to the liver.
In this article, it was shown that HDL activity was low, and that this may be tied into the fact that cardiovascular risk goes up somewhat after a covid infection.
So we just need to raise HDL levels, right? And we know that things like exercise, dietary changes, and some meds can raise cholesterol. Maybe - or maybe not. Those things will prove to be beneficial, but it doesn’t seem that simple.
According to the study, the reason that HDL is shuttling less cholesterol to the liver may be due to another factor. The problem may be with the ABCG1 cholesterol transporter. This is a system that moves cholesterol from inside the cells to the HDL that is waiting. And the blood cells that usually have lots of it are ‘depleted’ in Long Covid. Maybe the standard things that boost HDL will help here - but if they don’t fix the ABCG1 transport, then having more HDL won’t solve the real problem.
My Take
This is a fascinating new piece of the puzzle. It’s too early to make much of it, and not clear what can be done. It is worth doing the blood work for cholesterol and keeping an eye on it, and following the standard advice if HDL is low as best one can. Exercise may be a problem, and if so, weight training might be preferable to aerobics - at least in terms of HDL.