“My cholesterol levels are in the 160s and I am in the best shape of my life.”
Hmmm. Low cholesterol numbers are associated with higher mortality.
“Baseline (2002–2003) cholesterol levels were classified into 1st (< 182 mg/dL), 2nd (182–212 mg/dL) and 3rd tertiles (212 mg/dL)....
Subjects with persistent 1st tertile cholesterol levels and increasing cholesterol levels from the 1st tertile to the 2nd and 3rd tertile levels during the follow-up period were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality [aHR (95% CI) = 1.28 (1.18–1.38), 1.10 (1.01–1.20) and 1.16 (1.03–1.31), respectively] compared to those with persistent 2nd tertile levels (Table 2). Subjects with decreasing cholesterol levels from 3rd tertile levels to 1st and 2nd and persistent 3rd tertile levels were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality [aHR (95% CI) = 1.47 (1.32–1.64), 1.15 (1.05–1.26) and 1.15 (1.05–1.25), respectively] compared to those with persistent 2nd tertile levels. Decreasing cholesterol from 2nd tertile to 1st tertile levels was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality [aHR (95% CI) = 1.16 (1.07–1.26)]. These associations were prominent in groups less than 65 years old or men (S2 Table). Among statin users (n = 15,140), those with persistent 1st tertile cholesterol levels were associated with high all-cause mortality. (S3 Table).”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5908176/
“12,815,006 Korean adults underwent routine health examinations during 2001–2004, and were followed until 2013. During follow-up, 694,423 individuals died. U-curve associations were found. In the TC ranges of 50–199 and 200–449mg/dL, each 39 mg/dL increase in TC was associated with 23% lower (95% CI:23%,24%) and 7% higher (6%,7%) mortality, respectively....
...TC had U-curve associations with mortality in each age-sex group. TC levels associated with lowest mortality were 210–249mg/dL, except for men aged 18–34 years (180–219mg/dL) and women aged 18–34 years (160–199mg/dL) and 35–44 years (180–219mg/dL). The inverse associations for TC<200mg/dL were stronger than the positive associations in the upper range.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-38461-y
“Although the benefits of lowering blood cholesterol in order to protect patients from premature death caused by myocardial infarction or stroke are undisputed, national campaigns to identify high cholesterol in the community need to give serious consideration to the increasing body of evidence from epidemiological studies linking low total cholesterol to an increased risk of non-cardiac mortality. Lung cancer is the most consistent cause of non-cardiac death to be associated with low serum cholesterol levels. The incidence of cancer of the colon is also strongly correlated but no association has been found for gastric, rectal or brain cancer. The general consensus is that the risk of noncardiac death increases when total cholesterol falls to < 160 mg/dl.”
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article-pdf/18/1/52/1233369/18-1-52.pdf