Hawaiian researchers have cast new doubt on the benefits of reducing blood cholesterol in the elderly, saying that new research suggests that low cholesterol levels may do more harm than good for people over 70 years old.
While people generally have been urged to reduce cholesterol levels to lower the risk of heart disease, some studies have suggested this advice may not apply to the elderly. Researchers at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, reporting in The Lancet, said their study of the impact of cholesterol on Japanese-American men aged 71 to 93 confirmed a link between low levels of cholesterol and higher death rates.
“Our data accord with previous findings of increased mortality in elderly people with low serum cholesterol, and show, for the first time, that long-term persistence of low cholesterol concentration actually increases the risk of death,” said Irwin Schatz.
The British Heart Foundation noted that the study was limited to Japanese-American men, many of whom had very low cholesterol levels.
“There is a wealth of medical research and sound evidence confirming that too much cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk of coronary heart disease,” said Alison Shaw. Therefore members of the public, both above and below 70, should continue to aim for a cholesterol level of below 5mmol/l (millimole per liter of blood).”
