Older men with lower cholesterol die earlier

This study was published in the European Heart Journal 2001 Apr;22(7):573-9

 

Study title and authors:

Cardiovascular risk factors and 10-year all-cause mortality in elderly European male populations; the FINE study. Finland, Italy, Netherlands, Elderly.

Menotti A, Mulder I, Nissinen A, Feskens E, Giampaoli S, Tervahauta M, Kromhout D.

Division of Public Health Research, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11259144

The aim of the study was to examine risk factors in relation to death rates in elderly populations of different European countries. The study included 2,285 men, aged 65 to 84, from Finland, the Netherlands and Italy who were followed for ten years.

Regarding cholesterol levels, the study found:
(a) Men from Finland with the lowest cholesterol had a 19% increased risk of death compared to the men from Finland with the highest cholesterol.
(b) Men from Finland with the lowest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had a 14% increased risk of death compared to the men from Finland with the highest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
(c) Men from the Netherlands with the lowest cholesterol had a 5% increased risk of death compared to the men from the Netherlands with the highest cholesterol.
(d) Men from the Netherlands with the lowest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had a 5% increased risk of death compared to the men from the Netherlands with the highest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
(e) Men from Italy with the lowest cholesterol had a 5% increased risk of death compared to the men from Italy with the highest cholesterol.
(f) Men from Italy with the lowest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had a 12% increased risk of death compared to the men from Italy with the highest levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

The data from the study shows that lower levels of cholesterol and lower levels of HDL cholesterol are associated with an earlier death in older men.