Women who have high cholesterol could face a reduced chance of developing breast cancer compared with women whose cholesterol is not elevated. The researchers behind a recent study suggest that statin medications might offer protection against breast cancer.
Researching from Aston University in the United Kingdom collected information for over 1 million patients in the North West of England from 2000 and 2013. They included just over 16,000 women who were diagnosed with high cholesterol and an age-matched group of the same number of women without high cholesterol for comparison. The average age of the women was 66 years.
Across 14 years of follow-up, a smaller share of the high-cholesterol group went on to develop breast cancer than the group without that diagnosis at the start (0.5 percent versus 0.8 percent). Death rates were also lower in the high-cholesterol group (14 percent versus 24 percent). Further research will be needed to explain these findings, though it is possible that statin drugs offer some protection against breast cancer. I'm Dr. Michael Hunter.
This observational study cannot prove cause and effect, and the researchers note that more work is needed before any conclusions can be drawn about statins and breast cancer. If you have questions about your own cholesterol levels, statin use, or breast cancer risk, talk with your healthcare provider.
