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Hawaiian
researchers have cast new doubt on the benefits of reducing
blood cholesterol in the elderly, saying that new research
suggests that low cholesterol levels may do more harm than
good for people over 70 years old.
While
people generally have been urged to reduce cholesterol levels
to lower the risk of heart disease, some studies have suggested
this advice may not be applicable to the elderly. Researchers
at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, reporting in The
Lancet, said their study of the impact of cholesterol on Japanese-American
men aged 71 to 93 confirmed a link between low levels of cholesterol
and higher death rates.
``Our
data accord with previous findings of increased mortality
in elderly people with low serum cholesterol, and show, for
the first time, that long-term persistence of low cholesterol
concentration actually increases the risk of death,'' said
Irwin Schatz.
The British
Heart Foundation noted that the study was limited to Japanese-American
men, many of whom had very low cholesterol levels.
``There
is a wealth of medical research and sound evidence confirming
that too much cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk
of coronary heart disease,'' said Alison Shaw. ``Therefore
members of the public, both above and below 70, should continue
to aim for a cholesterol level of below 5mmol/l (millimole
per liter of blood)."
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of August 5, 2001
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