Worldwide Trends in Cholesterol Levels

With the epidemiological transition (the movement toward noncommunicable disease with economic development), cardiovascular disease has emerged as a leading cause of death in countries with developing economies. The Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration, an international network of researchers, sought to characterize blood cholesterol trends worldwide to provide insight into changes in this risk factor.

The investigators pooled 1127 population-based studies, which reported measurements of blood lipids in 102.6 million people aged ≥18. The studies stretched from 1980 to 2018. In 2018, the global age-standardized mean total cholesterol was 178 mg/dL, and the non-HDL cholesterol was 128 mg/dL. These mean cholesterol levels did not …