Analysis of 1,430,141 people finds that high levels of cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reduces the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by a third

This study was published in Stroke 2013 Jul;44(7):1833-9

Study title and authors:
Cholesterol levels and risk of hemorrhagic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Wang X, Dong Y, Qi X, Huang C, Hou L.
Department of Neurosurgery, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23704101

The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship of cholesterol levels with the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The study was an analysis of 23 previous studies and included 1,430,141 participants.

The study found:
(a) Those with the highest cholesterol had a 31% decreased risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared to those with the lowest cholesterol.
(b) Those with the highest levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol had a 38% decreased risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared to those with the lowest levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
(c) Every 1 mmol/L (38 mg/dL) increase in cholesterol levels decreased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 15%.
(d) Every 1 mmol/L (38 mg/dL) increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels decreased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke by 10%.

High levels of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are associated with a lower risk of hemorrhagic stroke.