November/December 2003
HEALTH BYTES

Low “good” cholesterol increases risk of heart disease

      Low levels of HDL cholesterol-called “good” cholesterol-are more strongly associated with an increased risk of death from heart disease and stroke than high levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, a recent report noted. High total cholesterol levels also appeared to be linked to a decrease in mortality in the elderly. In a four-year study of 561 people over 85 years old, researchers measured cholesterol levels and found that LDL, the “bad” type of cholesterol, was not associated with risk of death from cardiovascular disease, while people with HDL cholesterol levels below 40 mg/dL were twice as likely to die from stroke or heart disease.

Archives of Internal Medicine, 2003