Study Reveals that Low Cholesterol in Elderly DOUBLES Risk of Early Death

We hear  a lot about raised levels of cholesterol in the blood. What about LOW blood levels, do any problems arise? That is exactly what a research group set out to do. 4520 men and women between the ages of 65-84 took part in the study. It was found that cholesterol levels less than 189 (usual range 200–239 mg/dL) was associated with DOUBLE the risk of death in elderly people without dementia. That means it was not dementia that led to the deaths in the study group. Thus  low cholesterol level is a robust predictor of mortality in the nondemented elderly and may be associated with frailty or subclinical disease, according to the research team.

No doubt, further studies are needed, but this should temper any attempts to aggresively lower blood cholesterol levels using medication. Cholesterol is necessary for the metabolism and structure of EVERY CELL in the body, so  aggresive lowering of blood levels will lead to  unforseen perils - including death, like in this study. Please make sure that your physician or responsible health professional managing your treatment is aware of the references at the end of this blog entry. Please also educate yourself on the means by which your cholesterol is lowered. There are  options - work with your health professional. Think about this - could high cholesterol levels be the evidence of damage, rather than the culprit? That puts a different complexion on things, surely? I will return to this theme again. Stay well!

To your abundant good health,

Dr Ike
Functional Health Expert and Health Coach.

References:
1.Brescianini S, Maggi S, Farchi G, Mariotti S, Di Carlo A, Baldereschi M, Inzitari D; ILSA Group. Low total cholesterol and increased risk of dying: are low levels clinical warning signs in the elderly? Results from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Jul;51(7):991

2.Schupf N, Costa R, Luchsinger J, Tang MX, Lee JH, Mayeux R. Relationship between plasma lipids and all-cause mortality in nondemented elderly. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Feb;53(2):219-26.