Lowering 'bad' cholesterol by more than half doesn't help you live longer than lowering it by a smaller amount — after a certain point, going even lower doesn't give you extra protection against heart attacks or death.

Lowering 'bad' cholesterol below 55 might sound like the best thing to do to avoid heart attacks or death, but studies don’t consistently show that people live longer or have fewer heart problems at that ultra-low level compared to slightly higher levels—so maybe doctors don’t need to push everyone that low.

If you have high 'bad' cholesterol, lowering it more aggressively can help you live longer, especially if your levels are really high to begin with. Doctors should decide how hard to treat based on how high your cholesterol is and your overall heart risk.

If your 'bad' cholesterol is 100 or higher, lowering it more aggressively helps prevent heart-related deaths. But if it's already below 100, lowering it even more doesn't seem to help much — there might be a cutoff where treatment stops adding extra benefit.

Lowering 'bad' cholesterol (LDL-C) keeps your heart healthier over the long term, and the more time passes, the same level of protection continues—no weakening.

When people lower their 'bad' cholesterol to very low levels using strong medications, they have fewer heart attacks and strokes than those with higher cholesterol levels.