Older men with lower cholesterol have a 54% higher death rate

This study was published in the JPEN Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 1988 Mar-Apr;12(2):155-8

Study title and authors:
Prognostic significance of serum cholesterol in nursing home men.
Rudman D, Mattson DE, Nagraj HS, Feller AG, Jackson DL, Caindec N, Rudman IW.
Medical Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, North Chicago, Illinois.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3129590

The study investigated the association of cholesterol levels and death rates in 129 men (average age 70.6; range 41-96).

The study found:
(a) Men with cholesterol less than 150 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/l) had a death rate of 63% during the 14 months after the cholesterol analysis, compared to a death rate of 9% in men with cholesterol greater than 150 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/l).
(b) The death rate during the year after the analysis was 52% if cholesterol was below 160 mg/dl (4.1 mmol/l), compared to 7% if it was above this threshold.

The results of the study show that lower cholesterol levels are associated with higher death rates.

AMAZON UK The Cholesterol Hoax
AMAZON USA The Cholesterol Hoax