Even when cholesterol is driven down to very low levels, it doesn’t raise the chance of bleeding in the brain — at least not in the first few years of treatment.
Scientific Claim
Very low LDL-cholesterol levels (<40 mg/dL) are not associated with a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared to higher LDL-C levels, based on a meta-analysis of 10 randomized trials with a median follow-up of 28.8 months.
Original Statement
“haemorrhagic stroke OR 0.89, 0.66–1.20, P = 0.44;”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The abstract reports a non-significant result with confidence interval crossing 1.0. The phrasing 'not associated' is accurate. Full trial methods are not available, so 'association' is the correct verb strength.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Safety and efficacy of very low LDL-cholesterol intensive lowering: a meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomized trials.
This study looked at over 100,000 people and found that having very low 'bad' cholesterol doesn’t make you more likely to have a bleeding stroke — it’s just as safe as having higher levels.