American’s are cholesterol obsessed and for good reason. The importance of lowering “bad” cholesterol levels, or LDL’s, and raising the “good” cholesterol, HDL, to reduce the risk of heart disease has been demonstrated in numerous studies. While many people struggle to get their cholesterol level down into the normal range, there seem to be a lucky few that have enviably low levels. But are they really so lucky? Can cholesterol be too low to be healthy?
If your cholesterol is too low can it increase the risk of health problems? Some studies have shown that when cholesterol is too low it may subtly alter the way the brain functions resulting in an increased risk of psychological changes such as depression, anxiety, and even suicide. The risk of these psychological changes occurring doesn’t increase until cholesterol levels drop below 160.
Another association has been found between low cholesterol levels and the risk of developing cancer, although this isn’t necessarily a causal relationship. It may be that persons who have cancer have already developed a drop in cholesterol levels as a result of the disease. It’s also possible that because people who have a low cholesterol level have a reduced risk of heart disease, they’re more likely to stay around to eventually develop cancer. The relationship between cancer and cholesterol levels remains unclear at this point.
One thing that is known is that even if cholesterol is too low by medical standards, it has a positive impact on the risk of developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. This should be reassuring since this association has been proven while the negative risks of a low cholesterol level are still theoretical. For this reason, few doctors would encourage you to raise your cholesterol level by eating an unhealthy diet to reduce a theoretical risk of developing depression or cancer.
One situation where having a low cholesterol may be of concern is when a woman is pregnant. A study conducted by the NIH in 2007 showed that low cholesterol levels in pregnant women may increase the risk of giving birth prematurely or delivering a low birth weight baby. In this particular study, women who had cholesterol levels less than 159 had a twenty -one percent chance of experiencing a premature birth. Interestingly, women with high cholesterol levels have also been shown to have a high incidence of premature birth. It appears there’s an optimal cholesterol level, neither too high or too low, that gives the highest likelihood of an uncomplicated pregnancy.
If you’re taking lipid lowering medication such as a statin and your cholesterol is too low should you stop your medication? This is something you should discuss with your doctor. A low cholesterol level may simply be a marker for an increased risk of certain diseases such as cancer and play no causal role at all. Currently, the biggest concern from a medical standpoint is an elevated cholesterol which has been proven to increase the risk of heart disease. Until more definitive studies are carried out assessing the risks of low cholesterol, most doctors will probably focus on keeping cholesterol levels low for the sake of a healthy heart.
