Low cholesterol is associated with higher death rates in men

This study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine 1991 May;151(5):969-72

Study title and authors:
Serum cholesterol and mortality among Japanese-American men. The Honolulu (Hawaii) Heart Program.

Stemmermann GN, Chyou PH, Kagan A, Nomura AM, Yano K.
Japan-Hawaii Cancer Study, Honolulu 96817.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2025146

This 18 year study examined the association of cholesterol levels with death rates. The study included 7,961 men who were aged between 46 to 65 at the start of the study.

The study found that men with cholesterol levels below 4.65 mmol/L (180 mg/dL) had a 9.6% increase in death rates compared to men with cholesterol levels between 6.20-6.69 mmol/L (240-269 mg/dL).

Links to other studies:
Low cholesterol levels lead to an increased death rate of 47% compared to high cholesterol levels
20 year study shows those with the lowest cholesterol levels have a 35% increase in death rates compared to those with the highest cholesterol
Older people with the highest cholesterol live the longest