High cholesterol levels lead to a longer life in very old people

This study was published in the Journal of Aging and Health 1996 May;8(2):220-37

Study title and authors:
Survival in the oldest old: death risk factors in old and very old subjects.

Dontas AS, Toupadaki N, Tzonou A, Kasviki-Charvati P.
Center of Studies of Age-Related Changes in Man.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10160559

This study investigated which factors predict survival in the ninth decade of life. The study included 210 subjects aged 68 to 79 and 287 subjects aged over 80.

Hematocrit is a measurement of how much space in the blood is occupied by red blood cells

The study found:
(a) In those aged 68 to 79, high  hematocrit levels predicted survival.
(b) In those aged 80 or over, high hematocrit levels predicted survival.
(c) In those aged 80 or over, high cholesterol levels, 8.0 mmol/l (309 mg/dL) or over, as compared with low cholesterol levels, 5.9 mmol/l (228 mg/dL) or under, predicted survival.

The data from the study shows that high high hematocrit levels and high cholesterol levels lead to a longer life in very old people.

Foods high in iron and protein such as liver, egg yolk and beef raise hematocrit levels.