Remnant cholesterol and risk of premature mortality: an analysis from a nationwide prospective cohort study

To explore the relationship between remnant cholesterol (RC) and the risk of premature mortality as well as life expectancy in the general population.

We included a total of 428 804 participants from the UK Biobank for analyses. Equivalent population percentiles approach based on the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol cut-off points was performed to categorize participants into three RC groups: low (with a mean RC of 0.34 mmol/L), moderate (0.53 mmol/L), and high (1.02 mmol/L). We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the relationship between RC groups and the risk of premature mortality (defined as death before age 75 years). Life table methods were used to estimate life expectancy by RC groups.

During a median follow-up of 12.1 years (Q1-Q3 11.0-13.0), there were 23 693 all-cause premature deaths documented, with an incidence of 4.83 events per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.77-4.89]. Compared with the low RC group, the moderate RC group was associated with a 9% increased risk of all-cause premature mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05-1.14], while the high RC group had an 11% higher risk (HR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.07-1.16). At the age of 50 years, high RC group was associated with an average 2.2 lower years of life expectancy for females, and an average 0.1 lower years of life expectancy for males when compared with their counterparts in the low RC group.

Elevated RC was significantly related to an increased risk of premature mortality and a reduced life expectancy. Premature death in the general population would benefit from measurement to aid risk stratification and proactive management of RC to improve cardiovascular risk prevention efforts.