About half of the people who have serious heart problems also have low 'bad' cholesterol levels.

A lot of people with heart problems don't actually have high LDL cholesterol — about half of them have normal or even low levels — so maybe LDL isn't the main cause of heart disease after all.

A substantial proportion of patients hospitalized with acute coronary artery disease have LDL cholesterol levels below 100 mg/dL, challenging the assumption that elevated LDL is a necessary precursor to clinical events.

People with higher levels of 'bad' cholesterol in their blood are more likely to have heart attacks or other heart problems.

High LDL cholesterol doesn’t actually raise your chances of getting heart disease, according to some studies that question the long-standing belief about cholesterol and heart health.

In 2009, the 'bad' cholesterol levels in white American adults were about 7% lower than they were in 2000, which could mean less risk for heart disease — but other factors might have contributed too.