Professor Kazumi Kubota of Research Organization participated in a study that examined gender differences between LDL cholesterol (so-called "bad" cholesterol) and disease risk and all deaths using national retrospective cohort data. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, a journal in the area of dyslipidemia and arteriosclerosis.

Title of the paper:  Sex Difference Patterns in the Association of Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol with Disease Risk and All-Cause Mortality: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Background of the study: LDL cholesterol is known as a major risk factor for arteriosclerosis diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke. On the other hand, it has been pointed out that even the same LDL value may have different effects on the likelihood of disease and the risk of death among men and women. However, research focused on gender differences and evaluated over a sufficient number of people and observation period was limited.

Purpose and Method of Research: In this study, we statistically analyzed the association between LDL cholesterol levels, risk of developing various diseases, and all-cause mortality by gender, using large-scale Japanese insurance data (national retrospective cohort). We adjusted confounding factors such as age, diabetes and hypertension, and smoking, and compared how risk changes according to the range of LDL values.

Main results (points):
– Different patterns (sex differences) were found in the relationship between LDL cholesterol and disease and overall mortality risk.
– Significant suggestions were given in considering optimal areas for prevention and treatment, such as increased risk in men and higher sensitivity in other areas for women in specific LDL levels.
– These findings support the need for LDL management (primary prevention and secondary prevention) taking into account gender differences.

Comment by Professor Kubota:
"Risk assessment based on gender differences will be the basis for personalized medicine in the future. We would like to make use of this result in local medical examinations and health guidance and setting goals at clinical sites. "

Paper Information: 
– Publications: Journal of Clinical Lipidology（Elsevier）
– DOI： https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacl.2025.09.004
– Online publication: September 2025 (Articles in Press)

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