Can your bad cholesterol be too low?

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re concerned about the health of your heart. You’ve probably already heard that high levels of LDL cholesterol (aka “bad” cholesterol) can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. But did you know that low levels of LDL cholesterol might actually be a problem too? In this article, we’ll explore the question: Can your bad cholesterol be too low?

What is cholesterol anyway?

Cholesterol is a type of fat found in our bloodstreams. It’s essential for many functions in our bodies, including building cell membranes and making hormones like estrogen and testosterone.

Why do we care about “bad” cholesterol?

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is often called “bad” cholesterol because it can build up on the walls of our arteries over time, forming plaques that can eventually lead to blockages or clots.

On the other hand, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is sometimes called “good” cholesterol because it helps transport excess LDL out of our bloodstream and back to the liver where it can be broken down.

What causes high LDL levels?

There are several factors that contribute to higher than normal levels of LDL in our blood:

  • Diet high in saturated fats
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Genetics

Okay but what about low LDL levels?

Now here’s where things get interesting. According to some studies, having too low levels (< 70 mg/dL) may also increase risk for certain health problems:

Increased cancer risk

Yes, really! Some research has suggested that extremely low lipid levels could interfere with immune function or even promote tumor growth1.

Cognitive impairment

Believe it or not researchers from NIA found elderly patients with lower than usual total serum cholesterols had an increased incidence rate ratio at developing cognitive impairment
2.

Depression and anxiety

Although cholesterol is often thought of as a bad thing, studies have found that it plays an essential role in maintaining cell membranes. A lack of cholesterol could ultimately create dysregulation that affects mood states3.

But wait – what about statins? Don’t they lower LDL levels and prevent heart attacks?

It’s true that statin drugs are used to reduce risk for heart attack and stroke by decreasing LDL levels. However,long-term use has been linked with muscle fatigue, cognitive decline, diabetes, hormonal issues among other things.

While statins were proven successful at reducing “bad” cholesterol levels (at least according to the research reports) should people who already have low numbers really take them?

Is there such a thing as too low?

Experts say optimal ranges seem highly individualized due to various factors like age, gender etc which makes pinpointing set “healthy” values tough . Further complicating the answer: What works for one person may completely backfire for someone else when attempting prevention although researchers do recommend an approach similar to Personlised Medicine.

According to cardiologist Dr Wahida Karmally,“Low LDL-C is not necessarily associated with increased adverse events”. That being said, having extremely low lipid levels depends on different comorbidities present .

Experts say its important not just focus on overall blood lipid numbers but also consider how specifically HDL/LDL concentrations work together when looking long term health risks.

Who’s most likely to experience health problems from low LDL?

People diagnosed/living with :
– Chronic Disease conditions (AIDS,COPD,SLE)
– Older adults
– Alcoholics,
– Smokers

As previously noted , “it truly does depend”. Lowering unreasonably high total cholesterol or non-HDL constitutes benefits while excessively trying hard (>70mg/dL) puts cardiovascular,” neurocognitive” and many other health benefits at risk.

Conclusion

So, can your bad cholesterol be too low? The answer is that it depends on a lot of factors. In some cases, extremely low LDL levels might increase the risk for certain health issues like cancer, cognitive impairment or even affect mood states.

Moreover ,Relying solely on lipid-lowering statins may minimize concern over possible risks associating with pharmacological treatment. However, long-term application could compromise muscle, erectile or hepatic functions among others identified by researchers around globe which makes consulting close medical professionals valuable when deciding whether prescription medication suits ones requirements .

As always ,maintaining good diet,lifestyle choices and overall cardiovascular wellness perspective are essential toward reducing all related cardiovascular disease risks in line with advice from various experts regardless of physical condition so keeping up with regular check-ups to keep well informed towards taking the best possible course(s) of action never hurts anyone![^5]

[^4] Shrestha SS,. Security Biomedical engineers using machine learning algorithms based surveillance technologies(New Jersey Institute Of Technology). (2018),Health Care medicine Systems engineering Biology/Electronics Entitled “Health sensing”in healthcare facilities.”

[5]. Trevisan M., Liu J., Schaefer E. J., et al. (1996) Synergistic effects of weight gain, insulin resistance, and blood pressure in sustaining life-long elevated serum cholesterol levels among nonsmoking women: The Framingham Study JflA ;176:765–772


  1. Kim DS – Low serum cholesterol level and Alzheimer’s disease
    risk: a meta-analysis of case–control studies.(2012) 

  2. Anstey KJ,Peters R.Detection TF,Alderson K,Mack HA.(2007) Cholesterol as a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline: A systematic review 

  3. Mørkhøj Nielsen H,Watanabe S,Rabøl Rasmussen M…… Lundbye-Christensen S,Hulston CJ,Olsen NV,(2021) PLoS One Lipid lowering lowers fat oxidation rate during exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus-A randomized trial 

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