Your body produces cholesterol from saturated fat in your diet. The health community has stressed the importance of keeping your cholesterol levels low to reduce the risk of heart disease. High cholesterol has been linked to an increased risk for cancer, depression, malnutrition, liver disease and Tangier disease, according to the book "ABCs of Interpretive Laboratory Data."
Normal Values
Normal cholesterol values are associated with a healthy cardiovascular system and a lower risk of developing heart disease. Classification for cholesterol levels are: optimal – total cholesterol <150mg/dL, LDL cholesterol <100mg/dL; desirable – total cholesterol 150-199mg/dL, LDL cholesterol <100-129mg/dL; borderline-high – total 200-239mg/dL, LDL cholesterol 130-159mg/dL and high – total >240 mg/dL and LDL cholesterol >160mg/dL.
HDL Cholesterol
Normal HDL (good) cholesterol levels are above 40mg/dL: levels below 35mg/dL are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Lifestyle factors contribute to low HDL cholesterol levels, including smoking, overweight or obesity, and inactivity.
Role of Cholesterol
Cholesterol is used in many body processes to keep you healthy. Men and women produce testosterone and estrogen in varying levels because of the body’s ability to use cholesterol to make them. Your liver uses cholesterol to make bile salts to help you digest fats from your diet. These salts help maintain normal cholesterol levels in your blood. Cholesterol also plays a role in making vitamin D. Exposure to ultraviolet light causes your body to use cholesterol for vitamin D production. Without enough cholesterol, your body is not able to perform these normal functions, leading to low testosterone levels, weakening of your bones and fat malabsorption.
Malnutrition
Cachexia is a wasting syndrome that is seen in people with chronic diseases such as cancer or AIDS that is marked by malnutrition due to muscle wasting. This cachetic state increases calorie needs beyond what is possible for someone who is seriously ill to provide for themselves. This can lead to a decreased appetite, apathy and increased stress on the body. With an insufficient intake of calories and fat, the body will slowly stop making cholesterol, leading to declining levels. Cholesterol makes sex hormones--testosterone and estrogen--along with vitamin D. If there are not enough calories and fat to make cholesterol, you will lose other bodily functions that cholesterol helps serve.
Family Genetics
Low total cholesterol and normal or high triglyceride (storage form of fat) levels indicate Tangier disease. This is a rare genetic disorder with an unknown cause as stated in the Merck Manual. Symptoms include low HDL cholesterol, enlarged liver and spleen, and orange-yellow tonsils.
References
- "ABC's of Interpretive Laboratory Data"; Dr. Paul Bakerman and Dr. Paul Strausbach; 2002
- Mayo Clinic: Can Your Choleterol Level Be Too Low
- Merck Manual; Dr. Mark Beers and Dr. Robert Berkow; 1999
