Can super low cholesterol be safe?
Clinical and pathophysiological evidence supporting the safety of extremely low LDL levels-The zero-LDL hypothesis.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with lifelong LDL-C levels as low as 14 mg/dL show no safety issues.
This contradicts long-standing concerns that extremely low cholesterol could impair brain function, hormone production, or cell integrity due to inadequate cholesterol supply.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t panic if your LDL cholesterol drops very low on medication—especially if it’s due to effective LDL receptor activity.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with lifelong LDL-C levels as low as 14 mg/dL show no safety issues.
This contradicts long-standing concerns that extremely low cholesterol could impair brain function, hormone production, or cell integrity due to inadequate cholesterol supply.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t panic if your LDL cholesterol drops very low on medication—especially if it’s due to effective LDL receptor activity.
Publication
Journal
Journal of clinical lipidology
Year
2018
Authors
L. Masana, J. Girona, D. Ibarretxe, R. Rodríguez-Calvo, R. Rosales, J. Vallvé, C. Rodríguez-Borjabad, M. Guardiola, Marina Rodríguez, S. Guaita-Esteruelas, Iris Oliva, N. Martínez-Micaelo, M. Heras, R. Ferré, J. Ribalta, N. Plana
Related Content
Claims (5)
Really low 'bad' cholesterol might actually be a sign your body is doing a great job cleaning it out — not something to worry about.
Having really low 'bad' cholesterol thanks to how your body naturally processes it doesn’t seem to cause health problems, even over many years.
People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs and get their bad cholesterol really low don’t seem to have more side effects than those who don’t get it as low.
Can someone be perfectly healthy even if their 'bad' cholesterol is super low—like 14 mg/dL?
Your body gets rid of cholesterol mainly through a cleanup system in the liver—since cells can't break cholesterol down, they send it to the liver to be removed.