High cholesterol in Women found to be the reverse of what they thought it was (less risky)

PubMed ^ | Sept 25, 2011

[Scythian]

Some studies indicate that the predictive properties of cholesterol might not be as straightforward as widely assumed. Our aim was to document the strength and validity of total cholesterol as a risk factor for mortality in a well-defined, general Norwegian population without known CVD at baseline. Methods  We assessed the association of total serum cholesterol with total mortality, as well as mortality from CVD and ischaemic heart disease (IHD), using Cox proportional hazard models. The study population comprises 52 087 Norwegians, aged 20-74, who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2, 1995-1997) and were followed-up on cause-specific mortality for 10 years (510 297 person-years in total).

Results  Among women, cholesterol had an inverse association with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 0.94; 95% confidence interval.

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology looked at 52,087 individuals between the ages of 20 and 74. After adjusting for factors like age, smoking and blood pressure, researchers found women with high cholesterol (more than 270 mg/dl) had a 28 percent lower mortality risk than women with low cholesterol (under 193 mg/dl). Risk for heart disease, cardiac arrest and stroke also declined as cholesterol levels rose.

Two words people : Magnesium and Pottasium, those are what your body has a deficiency of, not statins IMHO (and what the evidence shows) ...

[Guenevere]

I was taking niacin for cholesterol but it increased the enzyme levels of my liver, so the doctor took me off ..

I have always had good levels before....and I don't drink....so that's why she immediately had me drop the niacin..

I Googled this and it seems it happens quite often....certain supplements....even 'natural' types from health food stores, should be monitored.

[Guenevere]

I was taking niacin for cholesterol but it increased the enzyme levels of my liver, so the doctor took me off ..

I have always had good levels before....and I don't drink....so that's why she immediately had me drop the niacin..

I Googled this and it seems it happens quite often....certain supplements....even 'natural' types from health food stores, should be monitored.

[Guenevere]

Ooops....ooops...ooops

[neverdem]

PubMed is an online archive of Medline from the National Library of Medicine, IMHO. Medline originally went to medical libraries as compact disks in the mail with monthly updates in the early 1990s before it went online as PubMed.

The source is the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice. The title of the citation is Is the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study.

The complete abstract is:

Rationale, aims and objectives  Many clinical guidelines for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention contain risk estimation charts/calculators. These have shown a tendency to overestimate risk, which indicates that there might be theoretical flaws in the algorithms. Total cholesterol is a frequently used variable in the risk estimates. Some studies indicate that the predictive properties of cholesterol might not be as straightforward as widely assumed. Our aim was to document the strength and validity of total cholesterol as a risk factor for mortality in a well-defined, general Norwegian population without known CVD at baseline. Methods  We assessed the association of total serum cholesterol with total mortality, as well as mortality from CVD and ischaemic heart disease (IHD), using Cox proportional hazard models. The study population comprises 52 087 Norwegians, aged 20-74, who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT 2, 1995-1997) and were followed-up on cause-specific mortality for 10 years (510 297 person-years in total). Results  Among women, cholesterol had an inverse association with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89-0.99 per 1.0 mmol L(-1) increase] as well as CVD mortality (HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.88-1.07). The association with IHD mortality (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.92-1.24) was not linear but seemed to follow a 'U-shaped' curve, with the highest mortality <5.0 and ≥7.0 mmol L(-1) . Among men, the association of cholesterol with mortality from CVD (HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.98-1.15) and in total (HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.93-1.03) followed a 'U-shaped' pattern. Conclusion  Our study provides an updated epidemiological indication of possible errors in the CVD risk algorithms of many clinical guidelines. If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the 'dangers' of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial.

Total cholesterol was never that great as a predictor of cardiovascular risk or all cause mortality.

http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec5331/004.htm

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In the Framingham Heart Study, as many as one third of all coronary heart disease (CHD) events occurred in individuals with total cholesterol <200 mg/dL. Considering that the average U.S. cholesterol level is approximately 210 to 220 mg/dL, almost half of all heart attack events and all stroke events that will occur in the United States next year will in fact occur among individuals with below-average lipid levels. For this reason, our research group has sought in our large-scale prospective epidemiologic studies to understand better other markers associated with cardiovascular risk. Reference: Castelli WP. Lipids, risk factors and ischaemic heart disease. Atherosclerosis 1996;124(Suppl):S1-9. Website

[neverdem]

http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec5331/004.htm

If the graph doesn't print, you can find it at that URL.

As far as the comments abouut statins go, they have been shown in multiple double blind, placebo controlled studies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality at various LDL cholesterol levels. They also reduce a biomarker for inflammation, C-reactive protein.

[muawiyah]

Norway has a mixed Norse and Sa’ami population. The Sa’ami have livers that deal quite differently with high intake of cholesterol. Without more studies with different populations I wouldn’t trust this one.

[muawiyah]

See that area on the graph WAY TO THE LEFT?

down there about 100 or less ~ that's mine. It's hereditary.

I think I could survive on nothing but whale meat.

[Netizen]

Yeah I can’t take niacin either.