PLASMA-LIPID LEVELS AND PSYCHOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS IN MEN

Results of several studies suggest that either a reduction in the serum level of total cholesterol level or a persistently low cholesterol level may be associated with an increase in violent deaths. Although there are several possible explanations for these observations, it has been suggested that the cholesterol level could influence various behaviors. We therefore examined the cross-sectional relation of several psychologic characteristics, assessed by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, to levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides among 3,490 men aged 31-45 years who were examined in 1985-1986. (All men had served in the US Army between 1965 and 1971). Compared with that of other men, the mean total cholesterol level was 5 mg/dl higher among 697 men diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (possibly because of increased catecholamine levels) and 7 mg/dl lower among 325 men with antisocial personality disorder (p < 0.01 for each association). These differences could not be attributed to education, relative weight, cigarette smoking, use of various medications, or other potential confounders. In contrast, cholesterol levels were not significantly associated with major depression or hostility; levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were not related to any diagnosis. If the serum level of total cholesterol is found to be predictive of antisocial personality disorder in longitudinal analyses, this association may have implications for cholesterol-lowering recommendations.