Low LDL cholesterol levels are associated with an earlier death

This study was published in the World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 2009;100:63-70

 

Study title and authors:

Blood cholesterol as a good marker of health in Japan.

Ogushi Y, Hamazaki T, Kirihara Y.

Department of Medical Informatics, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19696528

This paper examined the relationship between low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and death rates. The study lasted for eight years and included 26,000 men and women.

The study found:
(a) The death rate of men whose LDL cholesterol levels were below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/l) were higher than in men whose LDL cholesterol levels were between 100 mg/dL and 160 mg/dL (2.6-4.1 mmol/l).
(b) The death rate of women whose LDL cholesterol levels were below 120 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/l) were higher than in women whose LDL cholesterol levels were above 120 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/l).

The results from this study show that lower LDL cholesterol levels are associated with an earlier death.