It is indisputable that high cholesterol levels are storing up health problems. It has been proved beyond doubt that they can lead to crippling conditions such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise then that some health experts are suggesting that people with high cholesterol levels are more likely to get cancer. Tests have so far not proved conclusive, but the experts say that maybe it is not surprising because often the lifestyles connected to high cholesterol levels are often unhealthy, including bad diet, sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise. The body is simply not given the fuel to fight against invasive bodies.

A study in Italy in 2004 concluded that there was an undeniable link between high cholesterol levels and cancer. In particular, it found there was a clear link to prostate cancer in men. It showed that men with high cholesterol levels were fifty per cent more likely to get prostate cancer than the general population. That gap widened in men under the age of fifty.

Although prostate cancer is the main cause for concern, it seems that people with higher cholesterol levels are more prone to get other forms of cancer than the rest of the population. And when they do suffer cancer, it is likely to be more aggressive and the affects are likely to be accelerated.

Medical tests have shown that cholesterol lowering drugs such as statins can be effective in stemming the growth of cancerous tumors. But once cholesterol levels go back up again, so the tumor begins to grow again.

The report is proof of how crucial it is to lead a healthy lifestyle. We are constantly told by health experts that we should eat healthier food and do more physical exercise. These findings about the link between high cholesterol and cancer are yet more evidence, if we needed it.

Other research suggests that high cholesterol helps accelerate the growth of cancerous tumors and also helps them survive. The studies also show that a very small percentage of people who are on satins may subsequently develop cancer if the treatment is prolonged. But the evidence is not conclusive and some doctors still feel the benefits of using statins to lower cholesterol and extend a patient's life probably outweigh the minimal risk of contracting cancer.

Although nothing is yet certain, the rule of thumb seems to be that a man with high cholesterol levels who is at risk of prostate cancer, (such as someone with a history of the disease in the family), should take care to lead a more healthy lifestyle.

Learn more about this author, Phil Hill.
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