High levels of LDL cholesterol can increase your chances of premature death

Not just your heart health bad cholesterol can impact your overall health and shorten your life-span.

Debjani Arora | Published: August 23, 2018 7:54 pm

Healthy adults who don’t keep their LDL or ‘bad cholesterol’ in check are more likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular disease than peers with lower cholesterol levels, a US study suggested.

Researchers examined data on 36,375 adults with no history of heart disease or diabetes and a low 10-year risk for events like heart attacks or strokes. Most had levels of the type of cholesterol that builds up in blood vessels and can lead to blood clots and heart attacks, known as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), below the threshold that usually leads doctors to prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs.

During the study follow-up period of about 27 years, 1,086 people died of cardiovascular disease and 598 died from coronary heart disease. Compared to people with very low LDL levels under 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood, individuals with LDL levels ranging from 100 to 159 mg/dL had a 30 to 40% higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. With LDL levels of 160 mg/dL to 189 mg/DL, people had a 90% higher risk of death from cardiovascular causes. LDL levels of at least 190 mg/DL carried 70% greater risk.

Is cholesterol really bad for you?

A fact about cholesterol is that it is an essential part of every cell in the body. Only about one-third of total cholesterol is needed through our diet whereas almost two-thirds of the cholesterol is produced by the body (in the liver). High levels of ‘LDL cholesterol’ (Bad cholesterol) are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, whereas a high level of ‘HDL cholesterol’ (Good cholesterol) is protective.

Research shows that the amount and type of dietary fat consumed can affect blood cholesterol levels. Dietary fat especially saturated and trans fats may raise blood levels of total and LDL cholesterol. Recall that high total blood cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels increase the risk of heart disease, while lower levels reduce risk. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol help lower the risk for heart disease.

In 1984, ‘National Institutes of Health (USA)’ stated: It has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that lowering elevated LDL cholesterol, will reduce the risk of heart attacks caused by coronary heart disease. However, there are some groups who dispute the cholesterol lipid hypothesis. In 2015, a paper stated that 92 percent of people with a high cholesterol level lived longer. This caused a lot of buzz on the social media. However, the recent study said that keeping a control on your cholesterol will be beneficial and decrease risk of premature death.

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Published: August 23, 2018 7:54 pm

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