Study title and authors:
Lack of association between cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality and morbidity and all-cause mortality in persons older than 70 years.
Krumholz HM, Seeman TE, Merrill SS, Mendes de Leon CF, Vaccarino V, Silverman DI, Tsukahara R, Ostfeld AM, Berkman LF.
Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8017.
The paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7772105?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=3&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed
The objective of the study was to determine whether elevated cholesterol levels are associated with total death rates and heart disease in people older than 70.
Over 4 years 997 subjects had their cholesterol levels measured and they were divided into 2 groups:
(i) Low cholesterol group (less than 5.20 mmol/L or 200 mg/dL)
(ii) High cholesterol group ( above or equal to 6.20 mmol/L or 240 mg/dL)
The study found:
(a) Death rates were similar - although the death rates in those who had the higher cholesterol was 1% less compared to those with the lower cholesterol.
(b) Cholesterol levels had no influence on rates of heart disease.
The study finds that high cholesterol
values do not cause heart disease in persons over 70 years.
