Does It Matter What Kills You?

In a commentary on Mission.org, a rhetorical question is posed:
With all the ways you can die, does it really matter what kills you?
On one hand, “If you’re dead, you’re dead, no matter from what,” so it seems foolish to “focus on changing something that lowers the risk of death from one cause only to raise that risk from another.”

1. Rethinking Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Cholesterol has long been vilified, but research reveals:

• It has very little to do with heart disease.

• Cholesterol is essential for hormone production, disease resistance, cell signaling, and heart health.

• Studies show that very low LDL may increase your risk of stroke.

2. The Government Changed Its Mind

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee stated:

“Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

Despite this, health institutions like Harvard Health continue pushing outdated ideas, blaming dietary fat and cholesterol for heart disease and recommending low-fat diets — a move even they acknowledge worsens cholesterol profiles.

3. Conflicting Messages Fuel Confusion

People receive mixed signals:

• Government guidelines downplay cholesterol concerns.

• Medical institutions still advise avoiding fat and dietary cholesterol.

• This inconsistency has created public confusion around cholesterol’s role in health.

4. Longstanding Data Supports Higher Cholesterol

As early as 2001, the Honolulu Heart Program published in The Lancet showed:

“Elderly people with low cholesterol had higher mortality. Long-term low cholesterol increases risk of death.”

This contradicts the persistent claim that lower cholesterol is healthier.

5. LDL Cholesterol: Poor Indicator of Heart Risk

Mission.org critiques the focus on LDL:

“Total cholesterol is a poor if not utterly worthless risk marker for heart disease.”

Focusing on LDL alone may lead to greater risk of death from other causes, like cancer.
The more accurate measure? All-cause mortality — death from any reason.

6. Japanese Study: Higher Cholesterol, Longer Life

A Japanese study (Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism) revealed:

• Higher cholesterol = lower mortality

• In elderly populations, this finding is universal

• Recommendation: Re-evaluate global use of cholesterol-lowering medications

A similar Netherlands study (BMJ, 2016) echoed this, concluding:

“There is a lack of association, or even an inverse association, between LDL cholesterol and mortality in the elderly.”

7. Is High Cholesterol Protective?

Studies suggest cholesterol may offer protection by:

1. Fighting infections and atherosclerosis.

2. Potentially reducing cancer risk, though confounding factors (e.g., previous medications) complicate the data.

3. Lowering risk of violence in psychiatric patients — low cholesterol has been linked to increased aggression.

4. Reducing risk of suicide — multiple studies associate low cholesterol with higher suicide rates, especially in men.

One 2019 study found low cholesterol linked to aggression in suicide attempters.

8. Statins: Worth the Risk?

Statins are heavily marketed to lower cholesterol. But:

• Side effects include headaches, muscle pain, sleep issues, constipation, memory loss, liver damage, increased blood sugar, and psychiatric concerns.

• A 2018 study warned that statins may impact serotonin and nerve function, increasing risk of violence or suicide, especially in men.

• Reviews have shown altered or omitted data in pro-statin research (Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology).

9. Statin Use Over Better Alternatives

Instead of focusing on:

• Whole foods (including egg yolks)

• Healthy fats (like olive, coconut, and avocado oils)

• Lifestyle changes (exercise, vitamin D, CoQ10 supplementation)

Medical institutions still lean heavily on statins, despite their risks.

10. Time for a Paradigm Shift

As concluded in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism:

“We hope to lay out the case for why a paradigm shift in cholesterol treatment is needed, and sooner rather than later.”

Final Thought

Investigate, read, and come to your own conclusions.
You weren’t born with a bottle of pills in your hand.