Men with low cholesterol, 140 mg/dL (3.6 mmol/L), have a higher risk of death compared to men with higher cholesterol of 250mg/dL (6.5 mmol/L)

This study was published in the Lancet 1986 Oct 25;2(8513):933-6

Study title and authors:
Serum cholesterol, blood pressure, and mortality: implications from a cohort of 361,662 men.

Martin MJ, Hulley SB, Browner WS, Kuller LH, Wentworth D.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2877128

The study determined the effects of cholesterol levels in middle-aged men. The study lasted six years and included 361,662 men aged 35-57.

The study found that men with cholesterol levels of ~140 mg/dL (3.6 mmol/L) had a ~14% increased risk of death compared to men with cholesterol levels of ~250 mg/dL (6.5 mmol/L).

Despite the fact the study revealed men with lower cholesterol levels had higher death rates, this study was used as evidence in the first report of The National Cholesterol Education Program in 1988 to lower the upper limit of normal cholesterol levels from 250mg/dL (6.5 mmol/L) to 200mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L).