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I've had low cholesterol now since I was a small boy. I am now 30 years old and have read various literature about what can cause low cholesterol levels, one of them being liver disease. My cholesterol ranges from 108-125. I have had liver functions tests all of them were normal. Doctors tell me it is hereditary, as my brother also has a low figure (@ 120). Should I worry about this. Please let your other readers know. Thanks so much. This forum is excellent.
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Dear Robert C, If your cholesterol has always been low, there is unlikely any cause for concern. -- Dr. Kevin Pho
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/7202.html
A report in the medical journal, Preventive Medicine, shows that it's healthful to have a low cholesterol (1).
Young men with low blood cholesterol levels were the ones most likely to enjoy good health and live long lives. The only ones with low cholesterols who were likely to die early were those who smoked.
Previous studies have associated low blood cholesterol levels with liver cancer, lung disease, depression, alcoholism and suicide. The latest data shows that a low cholesterol may be associated with cancer, but does not cause it. Before a person develops the symptoms of cancer, he often loses interest in eating and loses weight, which causes his cholesterol to drop. The most famous study on the effects of cholesterol on health/ was done in Framingham, Massachusetts. Blood cholesterol levels were tested every two years. Researchers showed that cholesterols started to fall up to 8 years prior to a person dying of cancer, and that those with the greatest fall in cholesterol in a 4 years period were those who were most likely to develop cancer (2,3).
A study from Russia showed that men who have low blood cholesterol levels are more likely to drink, are much thinner and have far less education than men with normal or high cholesterol levels. Lacking formal education, drinking heavily and getting into accidents caused both the low cholesterol and the early deaths (4). Lung disease, alcoholism, certain types of cancers and many other illnesses suppress appetite, so people eat less, causing their blood cholesterol levels to drop significantly (5,6).
There is no evidence that a low blood cholesterol causes you to die early. If you have a low blood cholesterol level, your doctor could check you for a hidden cancer, addiction to alcohol, cigarettes or drugs, emotional disorder or other disease. If none is found, you should be delighted and usually can expect to live a long time. On the other hand, if your cholesterol is high, you should start to worry because you are at increased risk for a heart attack and certain types of cancers and should start immediately on a diet that is low in saturated fat, partially hydrogenated oils and refined carbohydrates; and high in vegetables, such as the DASH diet.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
Checked 12/09/03
1) C Iribarren, DR Jacobs, ML Slattery, K Liu, S Sidney, BJ Hebert, JM Roseman. Epidemiology of low total plasma cholesterol concentration among young adults: The CARDIA study. Preventive Medicine 26: 4(JUL-AUG 1997):495-507.
2) SJ Sharp, SJ Pocock. Time trends in serum cholesterol before cancer death. Epidemiology 8: 2 (MAR 1997):132-136.
3) M Zureik, D Courbon, P Ducimetiere. Decline in serum total cholesterol and the risk of death from cancer. Epidemiology 8: 2 (MAR 1997):137-143.
4) DB Shestov, AD Deev, AN Klimov, CE Davis, HA Tyroler. Circulation. 1993(Sept);88:3:846-853.
5) Circulation September, 1992.
6) Archives of Internal Medicine July, 1992.
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http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=42652
"For your health, there’s nothing like too low cholesterol"
NEW YORK, MARCH 9: Lowering cholesterol far beyond the levels recommended by most doctors can substantially reduce heart patients’ risk of suffering or dying of a heart attack, a study has found.
The study’s results, cardiologists say, will greatly change how doctors treat patients with heart disease and will provide the impetus to re-evaluate how low cholesterol levels should be, even for people without heart problems.
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http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/11/13/cholesterol.level.ap/
Drug comparison study finds there's no such thing as 'too low'
"There is no such thing as too low an LDL. That's what the data seem to show," said Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic. He presented the results Wednesday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando.
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http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1068729735894_59?s_name=&no_ads=
Doctors have long debated how low people with heart trouble should drive down their cholesterol. Guidelines recommend getting LDL, the bad cholesterol, down to 100. But many have wondered whether lower is better.
The latest study lowered that target to 80 and found the more rigorous treatment seemed to stop artery clogging in its tracks.
"There is no such thing as too low an LDL. That's what the data seem to show," said Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic. He presented the results Wednesday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando.
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It would seem that there is some confusion concerning cause and affect when it comes to low-cholesterol and the disorders mentioned. Newer studies are showing that the disorder causes the low-cholesterol level and not the other way around. Additionally, low-cholesterol is quite normal for people who don't ingest cholesterol and the HDL will lower as levels of LDL drop, as was cited in the prior post.
There is no dietary need for cholesterol, the body produces all the cholesterol it needs. It is only when the body fails to do this that it may indicate a hidden or emerging disorder. As the blood test I referred to was done a few years ago and I'm in better shape now than I was then and since my ingestion of cholesterol is near zero, it's not a cause for concern. It's actually a good thing placing my statistical chance of a heart attack at 4% or less verses 50% for those following a standard diet and displaying "normal" cholesterol levels.
