Highlights
- •Celebrating Christmas is associated with higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol.
- •Celebrating Christmas is associated with a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia.
- •A diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia should not be made around Christmas.
Abstract
Background and aims
We aimed to test the hypothesis that levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
are increased after Christmas and that the risk of hypercholesterolemia is increased
after the Christmas holidays.
Methods
We conducted an observational study of 25,764 individuals from the Copenhagen General
Population Study, Denmark, aged 20–100 years. Main outcome measures were mean total
and LDL cholesterol levels. Hypercholesterolemia was defined as total cholesterol
>5 mmol/L (>193 mg/dL) or LDL-cholesterol >3 mmol/L (>116 mg/dL).
Results
Mean levels of total and LDL cholesterol increased in individuals examined in summer
through December and January. Compared with individuals examined in May–June, those
examined in December–January had 15% higher total cholesterol levels (p < 0.001). The corresponding value for LDL cholesterol was 20% (p < 0.001). Of the individuals attending the study during the first week of January,
immediately after the Christmas holidays, 77% had LDL cholesterol above 3 mmol/L (116 mg/dL)
and 89% had total cholesterol above 5 mmol/L (193 mg/dL). In individuals attending
the Copenhagen General Population Study in the first week of January, the multivariable
adjusted odds ratio of hypercholesterolemia was 6.0 (95% confidence interval 4.2–8.5)
compared with individuals attending the study during the rest of the year.
Conclusions
Celebrating Christmas is associated with higher levels of total and LDL cholesterol
and a higher risk of hypercholesterolemia in individuals in the general population.
Thus, a diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia should not be made around Christmas, and
our results stress the need for re-testing such patients later and certainly prior
to initiation of cholesterol-lowering treatment.
Graphical abstract
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 19, 2018
Accepted:
December 13,
2018
Received in revised form:
November 15,
2018
Received:
October 4,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Reply to: “Seasonal variations of lipid profiles in a French cohort”AtherosclerosisVol. 286
- Seasonal variations of lipid profiles in a French cohortAtherosclerosisVol. 286
- PreviewWe read with interest the article by Vedel-Krogh et al. [1] showing that celebrating the Danish “hygge” is associated with higher concentrations of total (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) among 25,764 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study. They concluded to not screen and/or diagnose for a possible hypercholesterolemia around Christmas period. They stress the need for re-testing patients later and certainly prior to initiating a cholesterol-lowering therapy.
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