LDL cholesterol is sometimes referred to as “bad” cholesterol because higher levels have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. However, LDL cholesterol is actually a carrier molecule for fats. As fat levels rise, LDL cholesterol levels will rise.

The American Heart Association (AHA) website states, “LDL cholesterol is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to fatty buildups in arteries (atherosclerosis). This narrows the arteries and increases the risk for heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease (PAD).”

In other words, the AHA is saying that elevated LDL cholesterol levels are part of the problem in the development of atherosclerosis.

If LDL cholesterol levels were the cause of heart disease, then elevated LDL levels should be associated with an increased risk of mortality. But researchers looked at 19 cohort studies encompassing more than 68,000 subjects over age 60 and found an inverse association between all-cause mortality and LDL cholesterol levels in 92 percent of the subjects. In the rest, no association was found.

In two other cohort studies, cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in the lowest LDL cholesterol quartile.