Cholesterol

Why the Science Says Elevated Levels Might Actually Help You Live Longer — and Avoid Cancer

For decades, cholesterol has been vilified as the arch-nemesis of heart health. “High cholesterol” is routinely flagged on blood tests like a red siren, prompting doctors to prescribe statins, patients to eliminate eggs, and food manufacturers to flaunt their “cholesterol-free” labels. But what if everything we’ve been told about cholesterol is not just incorrect — but dangerously misleading?

It’s time for a reckoning. A growing body of high-quality scientific evidence demonstrates that cholesterol — yes, even when elevated — is not only not inherently harmful, but may be associated with longer lifespans and a lower risk of some of the most dreaded diseases, including cancer. The narrative that high cholesterol is a death sentence is not only outdated — it’s unsupported by the data.

As Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, a renowned British physician and author of The Great Cholesterol Con, puts it:

“High cholesterol has become the medical equivalent of original sin. But if cholesterol were so dangerous, why do people with the highest levels often live longer?”

Let’s dismantle the myth — with evidence, with reason, and with courage to question dogma.

The Origins of the Cholesterol Scare

The modern war on cholesterol began in the 1950s with the now-infamous “lipid hypothesis” — the idea that dietary fat and blood cholesterol cause heart disease. Dr. Ancel Keys, a prominent American scientist, led this charge with his Seven Countries Study, which purported to show a direct correlation between saturated fat intake, cholesterol levels, and heart disease.

But here’s what was buried in the footnotes: Keys cherry-picked data from only seven countries — conveniently excluding nations like France, Switzerland, and Germany, where people consumed high-fat diets but had low rates of heart disease (a phenomenon later known as the “French Paradox”).

Despite methodological flaws and contradictory evidence, Keys’ hypothesis gained traction. By the 1980s, governments across the West had adopted cholesterol-lowering as a cardinal rule of public health. The pharmaceutical industry followed close behind. Statins — drugs that inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the liver — became blockbuster treatments, generating tens of billions in annual revenue.

But correlation isn’t causation. And as we’ve learned, the real story is much more nuanced.

Cholesterol Is Essential — Not Evil

Before demonizing cholesterol, let’s understand what it actually is.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in every cell of your body. It’s not a toxin — it’s a vital building block. Without cholesterol, life as we know it would be impossible.

Here’s what cholesterol does:

• Forms the structural integrity of cell membranes

• Is the precursor to vital steroid hormones, including cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone

• Is required for the synthesis of vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight

• Plays a critical role in brain function — your brain contains nearly 25% of the body’s cholesterol

• Aids in the production of bile acids, which are necessary for digestion

As Dr. Jonny Bowden, a leading expert on nutrition and metabolism, explains:

“Cholesterol is not a poison — it’s a miracle molecule. It’s as essential as oxygen. The body doesn’t produce essential substances in large amounts unless it needs them.”

So why would evolution design a system where a molecule so fundamental to human biology is simultaneously a harbinger of death?

The Longevity Paradox: Why Higher Cholesterol May Mean a Longer Life

If high cholesterol were truly a harbinger of disease and early death, we would expect people with high levels to die younger. But the data tells a different story — particularly in older adults.

Take the findings of the Framingham Heart Study, one of the most extensive and long-running cardiovascular studies in history. Researchers tracked thousands of individuals for decades. And what did they find?

In individuals over the age of 50, there was no association between high cholesterol and increased mortality — and in many cases, higher cholesterol was linked to longer life.

A 1992 analysis of the Framingham data, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, concluded:

“For each 1 mg/dL increase in cholesterol, there was a 15% decrease in mortality risk in individuals over 50.”

Even more striking: The same study found that low cholesterol was associated with higher mortality — particularly from non-cardiovascular causes such as cancer, respiratory disease, and infectious illness.

This isn’t an isolated finding.

A massive 2015 meta-analysis published in BMJ Open reviewed data from over 68,000 elderly individuals across 19 studies. The conclusion?

“Higher LDL cholesterol is not associated with increased mortality in the elderly. In fact, it is often associated with lower all-cause mortality.”

Let that sink in: The so-called “bad cholesterol” may actually be protective in older age.

Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, a Swedish physician and leading critic of the cholesterol hypothesis, has spent decades reviewing the literature. He argues:

“The idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease falls apart under scrutiny. The elderly with high cholesterol live longer, not shorter, lives. If cholesterol were so dangerous, how could this be possible?”

The Cancer Connection: Elevated Cholesterol and Lower Cancer Risk

Here’s where it gets even more compelling.

Multiple studies have shown an inverse relationship between cholesterol levels and cancer risk. That is, people with lower cholesterol are more likely to develop cancer — not less.

This pattern has been observed in large cohorts around the world.

A 2017 study published in Circulation followed over 100,000 individuals for more than 15 years. Researchers found that those with the lowest total cholesterol had a significantly higher risk of developing cancer — particularly gastrointestinal and hematological (blood-related) cancers.

Even more telling: The drop in cholesterol often preceded the cancer diagnosis by years. This suggests that low cholesterol may not be causing cancer — but rather reflecting an underlying process, such as chronic inflammation, malnutrition, or undiagnosed illness, that suppresses cholesterol levels.

As Dr. Thomas Dayspring, a renowned lipidologist, notes:

“Low cholesterol is not protective — it’s a red flag. Chronically low levels can signal immune dysfunction, poor cellular repair, and increased susceptibility to malignancy.”

Moreover, cholesterol plays a critical role in cell membrane stability and immune surveillance — mechanisms the body uses to detect and destroy cancerous cells. Depriving the body of cholesterol may weaken these defenses.

And then there’s the statin paradox.

Millions of people take statins to lower cholesterol, believing they are reducing their risk of disease. But a growing body of evidence suggests statins may actually increase cancer risk in certain populations. A 2010 review in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs concluded that while short-term statin use appears safe, “long-term suppression of cholesterol may impair immune function and promote tumorigenesis.”

While more research is needed, these findings should give pause to the idea that lowering cholesterol at all costs is beneficial.

Reassessing Heart Disease: Is Cholesterol the Culprit?

Even when it comes to heart disease — cholesterol’s most infamous crime — the evidence is murky at best.

Yes, cholesterol is found in arterial plaques. But its presence does not prove causation. Infection, inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial damage are now understood as far more important drivers of atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol may be more like a firefighter showing up at a blaze — not the arsonist who started it.

Dr. Dwight Lundell, former chief of surgery at Banner Heart Hospital, has been an outspoken critic of the cholesterol hypothesis:

“We’ve wrongly vilified cholesterol for decades. The real cause of heart disease is chronic inflammation. Cholesterol is trying to repair the damage — not cause it.”

Think of cholesterol as a biological band-aid. When your arteries are damaged — by high blood pressure, smoking, sugar spikes, or toxins — your body sends cholesterol to patch up the injury. Over time, these repairs can accumulate into plaques. But removing cholesterol won’t stop the damage — it will only prevent healing.

This explains why many people with “normal” cholesterol develop heart disease — and why many with high cholesterol never do.

Who Benefits from the Cholesterol Myth?

Follow the money.

The cholesterol-lowering industry — from statin manufacturers to diagnostic labs to nutritionists pushing low-fat diets — is a multi-billion-dollar machine. In 2023, statin sales alone exceeded $14 billion globally.

Pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in promoting the idea that cholesterol must be suppressed. Guidelines keep getting more aggressive — the American Heart Association now recommends statins for people with a 7.5% 10-year risk of heart disease, a threshold that includes millions of otherwise healthy individuals.

But at what cost?

Statins come with real side effects: muscle pain, fatigue, memory issues, diabetes risk, and liver dysfunction. A 2018 study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that nearly 20% of patients discontinue statins within a year due to adverse effects.

And for whom? For individuals who may gain little or no benefit.

A 2021 meta-analysis in Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology calculated that for primary prevention (i.e., in people without existing heart disease), you need to treat 104 people for five years to prevent one heart attack — and that reduction comes with no all-cause mortality benefit.

When the risks are real, but the benefits are marginal or nonexistent — isn’t it time to rethink the approach?

What Should You Do About Your Cholesterol?

This doesn’t mean cholesterol should be ignored. But context matters.

Rather than fixating on a single number — total cholesterol — we should look at the bigger picture:

• What’s your particle size and density of LDL? (Small, dense LDL is more atherogenic than large, buoyant LDL)

• What’s your HDL and triglyceride ratio?

• Are you insulin resistant?

• Do you have signs of inflammation (elevated hs-CRP)?

• What’s your lifestyle — diet, exercise, stress, sleep?

A person with high cholesterol who eats whole foods, exercises regularly, manages stress, and has low inflammation is in a vastly different risk category than someone with low cholesterol but high sugar intake, chronic stress, and sedentary habits.

And for older adults? Evidence suggests that cholesterol levels in the upper range of normal (200–240 mg/dL) may be optimal for longevity.

As Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a leading UK cardiologist, boldly declared:

“The best predictor of a heart attack isn’t your cholesterol — it’s your doctor prescribing a statin unnecessarily.”

Cholesterol Is Not the Enemy — Dogma Is

The war on cholesterol has led to unnecessary fear, overmedication, and the erosion of faith in our own biology.

Cholesterol is not a poison. It’s a protector. It helps build cells, supports immunity, fuels the brain, and may even guard against cancer. And far from shortening lives, higher cholesterol — particularly in older adults — is consistently linked to increased longevity.

We’ve pathologized a natural, essential substance because of flawed science, financial incentives, and a medical culture addicted to reductionist thinking.

It’s time to restore balance — to see cholesterol not as a villain, but as a vital ally in the complex ecosystem of human health.

As we move forward, let’s prioritize science over slogans, evidence over anxiety, and individualized care over one-size-fits-all prescriptions.

Because the truth is clear: Cholesterol isn’t the problem. Our fear of it might be.

“Don’t fear your cholesterol,” says Dr. Kendrick. “Fear being misled by medicine that has forgotten what health really means.”

Let’s stop treating numbers and start treating people.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment plan.