Cholesterol and Stroke. A Confusing Relationship
December 3rd, 2007 | by Timothy Kintzel, M.D. |
The link between high cholesterol and heart disease is fairly well established and accepted in the medical community, however recent research has left investigators wondering about the relationship between cholesterol and stroke. A study just published in The Lancet found that in middle to older age patients, elevated cholesterol was actually associated wtih a LOWER risk of stroke. Even more baffling is that cholesterol lowering drugs like statins have been shown to lower the stroke risk as well as the cardiac risk. Researchers speculate flaws in the study or other factors affecting the population of patients studied. They are certainly not suggesting that if one is to be concerned with stroke prevention, that they need not worry about high cholesterol. The state that more research is clearly needed, stroke seems to be much more complicated than heart attacks (myocardial infarctions).
Reference: Lewington et al, Lancet, Dec 1, 2007