Higher cholesterol levels associated with lower death rates

This study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine 1992 Jul;152(7):1490-500

Study title and authors:

Serum cholesterol level and mortality findings for men screened in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial Research Group.

Neaton JD, Blackburn H, Jacobs D, Kuller L, Lee DJ, Sherwin R, Shih J, Stamler J, Wentworth D.

Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55414.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1627030

The study investigated the relationship between cholesterol levels and death rates. The study included 350,977 men aged 35 to 57 who were followed for 12 years.

The study found those men who had cholesterol levels between 200-239 mg/dL (5.1-6.2 mmol/L) had a 12% lower death rate than those men with cholesterol levels below 160 mg/dL (4.1 mmol/L).

Links to other studies:
Declining cholesterol rates in people over 65 are associated with a 630% increase in death rates
Low cholesterol leads to 80% higher death rates from nonvascular causes
Low cholesterol and increased mortality in men and women