The study aimed to evaluate the effects of lowering cholesterol concentrations on total and cause-specific mortality in primary prevention trials. The analysis included six randomized trials with a total of 24,847 male participants, mean age 47.5 years, followed for an average of 4-8 years. The results showed that while there was a tendency for lower mortality from coronary heart disease in men receiving cholesterol-lowering interventions compared to controls (p=0.06), total mortality was not affected by treatment. No consistent relationship was found between cholesterol reduction and cancer mortality, but there was a significant increase in deaths not related to illness (deaths from accidents, suicide, or violence) in the intervention groups (p=0.004). When drug trials were analyzed separately, cholesterol reduction was found to significantly reduce mortality from coronary heart disease (p=0.04). The study concluded that the association between cholesterol reduction and deaths not related to illness warrants further investigation, and the failure to affect overall survival justifies a more cautious approach to the benefits of lowering cholesterol concentrations in the general population.The study aimed to evaluate the effects of lowering cholesterol concentrations on total and cause-specific mortality in primary prevention trials. The analysis included six randomized trials with a total of 24,847 male participants, mean age 47.5 years, followed for an average of 4-8 years. The results showed that while there was a tendency for lower mortality from coronary heart disease in men receiving cholesterol-lowering interventions compared to controls (p=0.06), total mortality was not affected by treatment. No consistent relationship was found between cholesterol reduction and cancer mortality, but there was a significant increase in deaths not related to illness (deaths from accidents, suicide, or violence) in the intervention groups (p=0.004). When drug trials were analyzed separately, cholesterol reduction was found to significantly reduce mortality from coronary heart disease (p=0.04). The study concluded that the association between cholesterol reduction and deaths not related to illness warrants further investigation, and the failure to affect overall survival justifies a more cautious approach to the benefits of lowering cholesterol concentrations in the general population.