Cholesterol and life expectincy

The lower the better ?

Cholesterol has almost gotten a reputation in the media as something that is dangerous.

Words as "bad cholesterol" is frequently used and many people are put on statins in an effort to lower cholesterol as much as possible. Even the reference ranges has been lowered several times, resulting in thousands of healthy people suddenly considered having "unhealthy" cholesterol levels.

"There is now a compelling body of evidence in both men and women that low cholesterol is a potential predictor for depression and anxiety in certain individuals,"

On top of that a LDL cholesterol level considered high by todays medical standards was associated with a longer life span in people 60+ years old.

" High LDL-C is inversely associated with mortality in most people over 60 years. This finding is inconsistent with the cholesterol hypothesis (ie, that cholesterol, particularly LDL-C, is inherently atherogenic). Since elderly people with high LDL-C live as long or longer than those with low LDL-C, our analysis provides reason to question the validity of the cholesterol hypothesis. Moreover, our study provides the rationale for a re-evaluation of guidelines recommending pharmacological reduction of LDL-C in the elderly as a component of cardiovascular disease prevention strategies."

Read the study here: https://lnkd.in/dncc2JGy

https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/women-low-cholesterol-may-be-risk-depression-and-anxiety

Now this is not suggesting that you should not take your cholesterol levels seriously, but it indicates that there is need for a more complex understanding of the importance of well balanced cholesterol levels.