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RELATIONSHIP OF BASELINE SERUM CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN THREE LARGE COHORTS OF YOUNGER MEN TO LONG-TERM CORONARY, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY TO LONGEVITY, AS WELL AS TO LONGEVITY
Serum cholesterol is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease and major cardiovascular disease, especially for middle-aged men. This conclusion is based on three prospective studies of groups of younger men with baseline serum cholesterol level measurements and no history of diabetes mellitus or myocardial infraction. A total of 11,017 men aged 18 to 39 years were screened in 1967-1973 for the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry; 1,266 men aged 25 to 39 were examined in 1959-1963, and 62,205 men aged 35 to 39 were screened in 1973-1975. The study measured cause-specific mortality during 24, 34, and 16 years of follow-up. mortality risks, and estimated life expectancy in relation to baseline serum cholesterol levels. Men in all three groups with unfavorable serum cholesterol levels [200-239 mg/dL (5.17-6.18 mmol/L) and >240 mg/dL (>6.21 mmol/L)] had strong gradients of relative mortality risk. In men with serum cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or greater (>6.21 mmol/L) vs favorable levels [<200 mg/dL (<5.17 mmol/L)], CHD mortality risk was 2.15 to 3.63 times greater. CVD disease mortality risk was 2.10 to 2.87 times greater, and all-cause mortality was 1.31 to 1.49 times greater. Men with favorable baseline serum cholesterol levels proved to have an estimated greater life expectancy of 3.8 to 8.17 years.
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