High cholesterol levels are linked to a longer life

This paper was published in Circulation 1992 Sep;86(3):1046-60

Study title and authors:

Report of the Conference on Low Blood Cholesterol: Mortality Associations.

Jacobs D, Blackburn H, Higgins M, Reed D, Iso H, McMillan G, Neaton J, Nelson J, Potter J, Rifkind B, et al.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1355411

This paper featured an analysis of 18 studies that compared cholesterol levels with death rates. The  studies lasted between 9 and 30 years and included 172,760 men and 124,814 women.

The analysis found:
(a) Women with the highest cholesterol levels (over 240 mg/dL or 6.2 mmol/L) had 13% lower death rates than women with the lowest cholesterol (below 160 mg/dL or 4.1 mmol/L).
(b) Men with the highest cholesterol levels (over 240 mg/dL or 6.2 mmol/L) had 3% lower death rates than men with the lowest cholesterol (below 160 mg/dL or 4.1 mmol/L).

The results of this analysis of 18 studies shows that higher cholesterol levels are linked to a longer life.