Lower Cholesterol, Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer

Reported November 06, 2009

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Concerns that low cholesterol leads to cancer may have caused unnecessary fear. A pair of studies now suggests lower cholesterol may actually reduce a man's risk of prostate cancer.

A new National Cancer Institute study reveals although low total cholesterol blood levels were connected to an 18 percent increased rate of cancer, this was the result of underlying cancer. “Our study affirms that lower total cholesterol may be caused by undiagnosed cancer," Demetrius Albanes, M.D., a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, was quoted as saying. "In terms of public health message, we found that higher levels of ‘good cholesterol’ (HDL) seem to be protective for all cancers, which is in line with recommendations for cardiovascular health.”

Results also show high levels of good cholesterol, or HDL, decreased cancer risk by 14 percent. Researchers followed 29,093 men for 18 years, making it the largest and longest study of its kind.

In a separate study, total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL reduced men's risk of high-grade prostate cancer by 59 percent. While high-grade prostate cancer is a less common form of the cancer, it is more likely to progress than other types, experts say.

SOURCE: Cancer Epidemiology and Biomarkers & Prevention, 2009