Cholesterol may not be the great killer after all, a major study in Copenhagen has discovered. Only those with cholesterol blood levels in the top 5 per cent are at risk from heart disease.
The Copenhagen study, involving 19,698 men and women from the city, is one of the first to study scientifically the effects of cholesterol and triglycerides, the fatty acids found in animal and vegetable fats, on heart disease.While cholesterol has often been suspected of causing heart attacks, it has been difficult to test for levels because blood samples should be taken only after a 12-hour fast.
Of those taking part in the Copenhagen study, 693 people suffered heart attacks. Cholesterol was found to be directly linked to the attacks only when levels were so high that they were in the top 5 per cent