Lower cholesterol levels associated with an 89% increased risk of coronary heart disease death rates in women

This study was published in PLoS One 2014 Dec 5;9(12):e114283

Study title and authors:
Health factors and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and coronary heart disease mortality: findings from the MONICA and HAPIEE studies in Lithuania.

Tamosiunas A, Luksiene D, Baceviciene M, Bernotiene G, Radisauskas R, Malinauskiene V, Kranciukaite-Butylkiniene D, Virviciute D, Peasey A, Bobak M.
Institute of Cardiology, Academy of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25479610

This study investigated the association of various health factors with all-cause and cardiovascular death rates. Data was collected over 25 years on 9,209 men and women aged 45-64.

Regarding cholesterol levels the study found:
(a) Men with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 29% higher death rate than men with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).
(b) Women with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 4% higher death rate than women with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).
(c) Men with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 15% higher cardiovascular disease death rate than men with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).
(d) Women with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 52% higher cardiovascular disease death rate than women with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).
(e) Men with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 19% higher coronary heart disease death rate than men with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).
(f) Women with cholesterol levels less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) had a 89% higher coronary heart disease death rate than women with cholesterol levels more than 6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL).

Tamosiunas concluded: "We found that total cholesterol concentrations of less than 5.2 mmol/L (201 mg/dL) were associated with increased higher risk of mortality."