Elevated remnant cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, and cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular mortality

Abstract Aims Cholesterol carried in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, also called remnant cholesterol, is being increasingly acknowledged as an important causal risk factor for atherosclerosis. Elevated remnant cholesterol, marked by elevated plasma triglycerides, is associated causally with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The association with cause-specific mortality is, however, unclear. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that elevated remnant cholesterol and plasma triglycerides are associated with increased mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other causes. Methods and results Using a contemporary population-based cohort, 87 192 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study aged 20–69 years at baseline in 2003–2015 were included. During up to 13 years of follow-up, 687 individuals died from cardiovascular disease, 1594 from cancer, and 856 from other causes, according to the National Danish Causes of Death Registry. In individuals with remnant cholesterol ≥1.0 mmol/L (≥39 mg/dL; 22% of the population) compared with those with levels