Prostate Cancer May Be Prevented By Lowering Cholesterol
In addition to protecting the heart, new research indicates that keeping cholesterol in check may also help reduce the chances of men developing aggressive prostate cancer.
According to one study, men with cholesterol in a healthy range, below 200, had less than half the risk of developing high-grade prostate tumors when compared to men with high cholesterol.
Another study found that men with high levels of HDL, or "good cholesterol," were a slightly less likely to develop any form of prostate cancer than men with very low HDL.
The two studies were published Tuesday in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Neither of the studies were definitive and they both had certain weaknesses, yet they added to mounting data suggesting that limiting fats in the bloodstream can reduce the risk of developing cancer.
"There might be this added benefit to keeping cholesterol low," said Elizabeth Platz of Johns Hopkins University.
Platz headed up the first study, which analyzed 5,586 men aged 55 and older who were in the placebo group of a big federal cancer prevention study done in the 1990s.
The chances of getting prostate cancer were not affected by cholesterol levels except in the 60 men who developed high-grade tumors, the type that grow and spread fast. The chance of developing one of these aggressive tumors was 59 percent lower among men with cholesterol under 200.
Eric Jacobs and Susan Gapstur, epidemiologists with the American Cancer Society said these figures are “a striking reduction in risk” in an accompanying editorial.
Researchers warn that they do not know how many men in the study were taking statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor or Crestor, which means that some of the reduced cancer risk could have been a result of these cholesterol-lowering medicines rather than from low cholesterol alone.
Earlier reports also indicate that statins can lower cancer risk, but doctors advise it is too soon to suggest taking them for this reason until further studies are done.
It has been well known for a while that statins prevent heart disease, and the recent research does nothing to nullify that.
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The second study involved more than 29,000 Finnish men over a decade ago. The men were all smokers being tested to see whether various vitamins and nutrients could lower their cancer risk.
Leader of the study Dr. Demetrius Albanes of the National Cancer Institution reported that the men with the highest levels of HDL were 11 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer than those with lowest levels.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to hit American men, with over 192,000 new cases expected to be seen in the U.S. this year, resulting in an estimated 27,360 deaths.
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