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Is there such a thing as having too low cholesterol?
My cholesterol is checked each time I donate blood. Over the past two years my total cholesterol has steadily decreased from 180 to 109. I do not take any statin drugs. I read that this may indicate an underlying health problem. Is it possible to have a cholesterol level that is too low? My LDL is ok, but my HDL is only around 20.
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asked Jun 11, 2010 at 12:58PM in General Medicine
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2Votes
answered Jun 15, 2010 at 02:26PMHDL which is the good cholesterol, the higher the better. The recommended level for a woman is >50 mg/dl and for a man is >40 mg/dl. But if it is >60 you can consider that as one negative risk factor for cardiovascular disease. LDL cholesterol, which is one of the bad ones,the lower the better under most circumstances.
A high blood cholesterol level increases your risk of coronary artery disease. Lower cholesterol is usually better — but not always.
Although the upper limits for total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol have been clearly established, the lower limits depend on the individual.
Ideally, keep your total cholesterol below 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or 5.2 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), and your LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) — or below 70 mg/dL (1.8 mmol/L) if you're at very high risk of heart disease. An adult who eats a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet may have an LDL cholesterol level between 40 and 50 mg/dL (1.0 and 1.3 mmol/L) and a total cholesterol level of 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L). -
2VotesDr. Nedumthottathil makes excellent points.
I would only add that cholesterol is an area where we desperately need more cross-disciplinary study. I've heard some cardiologists regard cholesterol as if it were the enemy and it must be obliterated. This drives the neuroscientists, who understand the importance of cholesterol to the brain, around the bend.
For example, serotonin is one neurotransmitter (neurotransmitters are the chemicals that carry messages from brain cell to brain cell) that depends on sufficient cholesterol. Without sufficient cholesterol (and serotonin), there is increased vulnerability to depression and anxiety.
Low cholesterol levels, far from always being something to celebrate, can also be symptoms of conditions such as hyperthyroidism, liver disease, manganese deficiency, malabsorption of nutrients from the intestines, and so forth.
We also need cholesterol to build and maintain cells, to produce sex hormones, to produce bile, and to convert sunshine to Vitamin D.
I find that this page from the Harvard School of Public Health provides a good education on good fats and bad fats.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-full-story/index.html
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