Researchers have found a link between the cholesterol levels and the risk of prostate cancer in men. They have found that lowering cholesterol level also helps in reducing not only the risk of heart diseases in men but also the chances of prostate cancer.
The researchers reviewed the health records of a large number of men over a long period of time, and they found that the risk of prostate cancer was considerably lower in men who took drugs to reduce their cholesterol level for other health reasons. Also the men suffering from prostate cancer reduced their chances of getting the aggressive form of the disease by taking the drug, statins.
To establish a link between the prostate cancer and the drug statins, the researchers studied about 34000 healthy men not suffering from cancer, over a period of 10 years. The study involved recording their use of the drug statin every two years. It was found that men who took the drug statin had reduced their risk of prostate cancer to half and the risk of metastatic prostate cancer to one- third as compared to men who did not use the drug.
At the Garvan Institute, Sydney, the researchers have also identified a new marker for prostate cancer. This marker can help in the identification of men who are at a high risk of developing metastatic disease even after the removal of the cancer affected prostate gland. This would further help in customizing the treatment for prostate cancer sufferers who are at a risk of suffering from life threatening metastatic disease. This marker can also be used for the early detection of the disease in men.
The researchers believe that cholesterol is one of the key elements in creating testosterone, and testosterone is the hormone responsible for promoting growth of prostate cancer. Thus reducing the levels of cholesterol is indirectly responsible for reducing chances of prostate cancer in men.
Thus health experts insist that improvements should be made in lifestyle and diet through proper exercise and a healthy diet, to reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease even if the cholesterol prostate cancer link has not been completely established yet.