Did the Japanese figure this out 15 years before we seriously started talking about it seriously in the past 2 years and questioning conventional medicine?
There were multiple studies in Japan between 1985 and 2008 looking at the relationship between Total Cholesterol and Mortality (Death).
The meta-analysis I link to below summarizes the results from data compiled between 1986 and 1990 for 22,971 individuals. They tracked Total Cholesterol level and Mortality. Subjects were above the age of 40.
They grouped Total Cholesterol into 4 ranges:
- <160 mg/dl
- 160-199 mg/dl
- 200-239 mg/dl
- >240 mg/dl
They went further and look at the cause of death, classifying it as one of:
- Cancer
- Cadiovascular disease
- Other
The overall Total Cholesterol vs. All-Cause Mortality results were as follows:
- Highest mortality: <160 mg/dl
- Lowest mortality: >240 mg/dl
The Total Cholesterol vs. Cause-specific Mortality results were as follows:
- Highest mortality by cancer: 160-199 mg/dl
- Lowest mortality by cancer: >240 mg/dl
- Highest mortality by CVD: 160-199 mg/dl
- Lowest mortality by CVD: >240 mg/dl (CVD: Cardiovascular disease)
Here are some results from some other studies in Japan:
Naito et al (1997)
- Subjects 40-49 years old
- No history of stroke or CVD
- Followed over period of 10.7 years
- In men: lowest mortality in group with Total Cholesterol of 240-280 mg/dl
Okamura et al (2003)
- 9,216 subjects
- Followed over period of 17.3 years
- Lowest all-cause mortality: group 240-259 mg/dl
Kanari (2002)
- 5,215 subjects
- Followed over 10 years
- Lowest mortality in both sexes was highest Total Cholesterol group
- Group with lowest Total Cholesterol had higher mortality than group with highest Total Cholesterol
Overall, in most of these studies (including the meta-study I reference above), women seem to be less-sensitive than men to Total Cholesterol. So while both sexes suffered lower mortality rates with higher Total Cholesterol, the “magnitude” among women was less than that among men.
