Low cholesterol leads to 80% higher death rates from nonvascular causes

This study was published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 1997;17:1224-1232

Study title and authors:

Effect of Serum Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Apolipoproteins on Vascular and Nonvascular Mortality in the Elderly
I. Räihä; J. Marniemi; P. Puukka; T. Toikka; C. Ehnholm; ; L. Sourander
From the Department of Geriatrics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland (I.R., L.S.); the Research and Development Centre of the Social Insurance Institution, Turku, Finland (J.M., P.P., T.T.); and the Department of Biochemistry, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland (C.E.).

This paper can be accessed at: http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/7/1224?ijkey=9f09ceeac22d5cf01cd8e23a0abddac7d4e92f94&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

The purpose of this 11 year study was to determine the effect of cholesterol levels on mortality rates from vascular and nonvascular causes. The study included 347 individuals aged 65 years or older. Vascular causes included heart disease, heart failure, stroke etc .

The study found:

(a) Nonvascular causes of death were 80% higher for those with the lowest cholesterol (less than 5.0 mmol/l or 193 mg/dL) compared with those of the highest cholesterol (over 8.0 mmol/l or 309 mg/dL).
(b) Vascular causes of death were 30% higher for those with the lowest cholesterol (less than 5.0 mmol/l or 193 mg/dL) compared with those of the highest cholesterol (over 8.0 mmol/l or 309 mg/dL).

The results of the study revealed that low cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates .

AMAZON UK The Great Cholesterol Con

AMAZON USA The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It