The purpose of the study was to determine if low serum cholesterol would be valuable in screening for protein calorie malnutrition (PCM), and if low cholesterol was associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Data were collected retrospectively on 206 adult patients admitted to the University of Kansas Medical Center within the last three years. Subjects met inclusion criteria. Associations were evaluated for cholesterol and diagnosis, percent desired body weight (%DBW), percent weight loss (% wt. loss), albumin, total lymphocyte count (TLC), length of stay, and number of days ‘nothing by mouth’ (NPO) and/or on clear liquid diet out of the total days hospitalized (NPO ratio). Variables were grouped using cutpoints. Scattergraphs and multiple logistic regression (MLR) were used to make correlations between individual variables and among combinations of the variables and cholesterol. Cholesterol was significantly and independently associated with %DBW and serum albumin. Low albumin (<3.15 g/dl) was predictive of cholesterol <100 mg/dl and <150 mg/dl. Low albumin strengthened the association when diagnosis predicted cholesterol <150 mg/dl. Low albumin and mortality were predictive of cholesterol <100 mg/dl. The percentage change of albumin was strongly associated with the percentage change in cholesterol. Results indicate that serum cholesterol <150 mg/dl would be valuable for nutrition screening.