A new study has shown that men with healthy levels of cholesterol have less chance of developing high grade (aggressive) prostate cancer than men with high cholesterol levels.
In this study, involving more than 5000 men, researchers from Johns Hopkins University determined that men with total cholesterol levels below 200 (considered a relatively healthy level) had a nearly 60% lower rate of developing aggressive prostate cancers than men with total cholesterol levels above 200.
This study did not take into account whether the men being studied had taken cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins or simply had healthy levels of cholesterol without the use of medication. Studies in the past have shown that there may be an association between statin use and lower rates of prostate cancer, but this association has not been definitively shown to be true.
The medical journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention published this most recent study.