The Study
Can LDL cholesterol be too low? Possible risks of extremely low levels
This study is like a summary written by experts that puts together what other scientists have found. It doesn’t do a new experiment or prove anything new, but helps us think about whether very low cholesterol might be safe or not.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Doctors can now lower bad cholesterol (LDL) to very low levels with medicine. This review asks if that’s safe. It looks at how the body handles cholesterol and finds that even when LDL is very low, the body still makes what it needs for important jobs.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, the result is significant: it suggests that very low LDL cholesterol is not harmful by itself, which supports aggressive treatment for heart disease.
- 2Very low LDL cholesterol (like 14 mg/dL) doesn’t stop the body from making hormones or bile.
- 3Newborns and some animals naturally have such low levels.
- 4People on statins may get type 2 diabetes, but that’s from the drug, not the low cholesterol.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Internal Medicine
Year
2017
Authors
Anders G. Olsson, Bo Angelin, Gerd Assmann, Christoph J. Binder, Ingemar Björkhem, Angel Cedazo-Minguez, Jonathan C. Cohen, A. Eckardstein, Eduardo Farinaro, Dirk Müller-Wieland, K. Parhofer, P. Parini, Robert S. Rosenson, J. Starup-Linde, M. J. Tikkanen, Laurent Yvan-Charvet
Related Content
Claims (5)
Even if medicine lowers your 'bad' cholesterol to super low levels—like what you see in babies or animals—your body can still make the hormones and digestive juices it needs.
Low LDL cholesterol probably isn't causing illnesses like cancer or depression — it's more likely that these diseases are lowering cholesterol as a side effect.
Taking statins might raise your chances of getting type 2 diabetes, and it's the medicine itself — not lower cholesterol — that's likely to blame.
We can now lower bad cholesterol to super low levels with treatment — even lower than what babies or some animals have — but we're not sure if that's totally safe over the long term.
Can someone be perfectly healthy even if their 'bad' cholesterol is super low—like 14 mg/dL?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.