Lipid Panel

It is purported that a 1% increase in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) increases the risk of heart attack by 2%.  Therefore too much cholesterol is not good, but too little may not be either. The American Heart Association announced in 1999 (at the annual stroke conference) that people with cholesterol levels less than 180 mg/dL doubled their risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared to those with cholesterol levels of 230 mg/dL.

According to data published in the Lancet, the risk imposed by elevated cholesterol decreases with age. (Weverling et al., 1997) (Schatz et al., 2001).  In fact, low cholesterol may be associated with higher death rates among elderly people, due to mortality from cancer and infection.

Individuals with high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) are 16 times more likely to have a heart attack than a person with normal levels.

So it’s not just cholesterol, but what kind and in what ratio that matters.

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