If It Isn’t Cholesterol, What Causes Heart Disease?

Myth: People with high cholesterol are more prone to heart attacks.

TRUTH: Young and middle-aged men with cholesterol levels over 350 are slightly more at risk for heart attacks. Those who have cholesterol levels just below 350 are at no greater risk than those whose cholesterol is very low. For elderly men and women of all ages, high cholesterol is associated with a longer lifespan.