We have probably been enlightened by a thousand books and articles regarding the harmful effects of a high cholesterol level and how to lower it down to a healthy range. But is a low cholesterol level as undesirable as a high cholesterol level?

Experts believe that very low cholesterol levels may be symptoms of hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid gland, liver disease, malabsorption, malnutrition, hypocholesterolemia, and insufficient absorption of the nutrients from the intestines.

Extremely low cholesterol levels which are considered abnormal are known as hypocholesterolemia. There is an ongoing study that links this particular abnormality to tuberculosis. The study aims to consider the prospect of using cholesterol as a means for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis.

Dutch experts recently conducted studies to gather more information as to whether or not low total blood cholesterol levels can raise the risk of depression in men. They have observed that men with low cholesterol levels display depressive symptoms of anger and hostility in contrast to the men with cholesterol levels within the normal range. Other recent studies have discovered that aside from the risk of depression, people with very low cholesterol levels are prone to anxiety, suicide, and hemorrhagic stroke. These studies further state that people with cholesterol level under 180mg/dL are two times more at risk to developing hemorrhagic stroke compared to those with levels at 230 mg/dL.

Research points out that the metabolism of serotonin, a substance that regulates a person's mood, may be influenced by cholesterol. As the study found out, the levels of serotonin is decreased in men having low cholesterol levels.

Some doctors believe though that getting your LDL way below the normal level is better. The reason why LDL should be the main focus in cholesterol lowering is that this particular lipid acts as the bad guy. They are the ones that accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels, forming a plaque over time which results in blockage of blood flow. Lowering your total blood cholesterol shouldn't be way beyond the normal level, as experts say, because your total cholesterol is not only made up of the bad (LDL) cholesterol, but the good (HDL) cholesterol as well.

So it's not a question of how low you should go. Checking your HDL level should be done as well. Increasing it will make it more effective in counteracting your bad cholesterol.