20 year study shows those with the lowest cholesterol levels have a 35% increase in death rates compared to those with the highest cholesterol

This study was published in the Lancet 2001 Aug 4;358(9279):351-5.

Study title and authors:

Cholesterol and all-cause mortality in elderly people from the Honolulu Heart Program: a cohort study.

Schatz IJ, Masaki K, Yano K, Chen R, Rodriguez BL, Curb JD.

Clinical Epidemiology and Geriatrics Division, Department of Medicine, John A Bums School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1356 Lusitana Street, 7th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813-2427, USA. schatzi@hawaii.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11502313

The study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels in 3572 Japanese/American men (aged 71-93 years) and death rates over 20 years.

The study found that those with the lowest cholesterol had a 35% increase in mortality compared to those with the highest cholesterol.