[JumpCrisscross]

> people generally finish breeding (ages <35) long before they have trouble from cholesterol (ages 40+) or other minor dietary issues

You’re speaking to modern times. Rebeccu, for instance, is a gorgeous town abandoned by Sardinians in the 14th century because of famine. Furthermore, the children of a famished mother are less likely to survive to reproductive age, and a family whose elderly died of famine will be less stable than one with multi-generational structures in place. These prenatal, neonatal and group selection dynamics bias the dice.

[svnt]

You don’t need famine; a wealthy societal elder is better positioned to marry his or her children and grandchildren into situations where they will have more children and their children will be better provided for. An elder male could continue reproducing by finding additional mates. There is good evidence that male genetic diversity is much lower than we would expect if most of our ancestors were monogamous.

Bugs might reproduce primarily constrained by their LDL uptake but humans are far more complex.

[rat9988]

I'd suspect in the case of famine those who digest the cholesterol would have the highest survival rate. It still doesn't add up.