Cholesterol levels are increasing in low- and middle-income nations – particularly in Asia while it is sharply going down in western nations, according to a study of global cholesterol levels.
The study involved researchers at the University of Gothenburg.
The research used data from 102.6 million individuals and examined cholesterol levels in 200 countries, across a 39-year time period, from 1980 to 2018.
The new study by scores of researchers from worldwide was led by Imperial College London and published in the journal Nature.
Wellcome Trust and the British Heart Foundation have funded for this study.
The study revealed that high cholesterol is responsible for about 3.9 million worldwide deaths. Half of these deaths happen in East, South and Southeast Asia.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the blood. The body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, but too much can lead to a build-up in the blood vessels.
Cholesterol comes in different types. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) ‘good’ cholesterol, which should be 1mmol/L or above, is thought to have a protective effect against heart attack and stroke, by mopping up excess ‘bad’ cholesterol.
Non-HDL ‘bad’ cholesterol, which should be as low as possible, can block blood supply and lead to heart attacks and strokes. This type of cholesterol is usually raised by diets high in saturated and trans fats, which is found in many processed foods, instead of healthier unsaturated fats. It can be lowered effectively through the use of statins.
The results of the new study revealed total and non-HDL cholesterol levels have fallen sharply in high income nations, particularly those in North-western Europe, North America and Australasia. Some of the countries where the situation has improved are Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta.
In Sweden the levels of non-HDL in blood decreased by about a third from 1980 to 2018. The average man went from 4.8 mmol/L to 3.5, and the average woman from 4.8 to 3.3. The reduction among women in Sweden was the third largest in the world.
– Non-HDL is a very important risk factor for heart attack, and the strong reduction of non-HDL, together with decreased tobacco smoking, is an important factor for the reduced mortality in heart attack. Between 1987 och 2018 we have seen the mortality in heart attack reduced by 80 percent, Annika Rosengren says.