【Takungpao News 2006-4-12】

Prostate cancer has long been associated with age, race, and family history, but a recent report published in the "Annals of Oncology" by an Italian research institution suggests that high cholesterol may also trigger prostate cancer. This is the first time researchers have linked cholesterol to prostate cancer.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 12, Italian epidemiologist Francesca Bravi, who participated in the study, said that the findings help explain why patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs seem to have a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Bravi and her colleagues studied the health records of nearly 3,000 men from four different regions in Italy. All participants were under the age of 75, with 1,294 diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,451 without the disease.

The results showed that 22% of prostate cancer patients had a history of high cholesterol, compared to 16% in the non-cancer group. After considering other factors such as family history and smoking habits, researchers found that prostate cancer patients were more than 50% more likely to have high cholesterol than the control group.

Bravi explained that the male body uses cholesterol to produce male hormones, and excessive cholesterol may lead to hormonal imbalances, thereby affecting prostate health. However, researchers noted that it is still unclear whether lowering cholesterol benefits prostate health, and the conclusion that high cholesterol may trigger prostate cancer requires further validation.

Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 04/ 12/ YM- 551425. htm