A team from Boston's Children Hospital found that high cholesterol levels cause prostate cancer cells in mice to grow and that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs inhibit prostate cancer growth (Journal of Clinical Investigation March, 2005.)

Researchers injected human prostate cancer cells into mice. Animals fed high cholesterol diets had cholesterol accumulate in the outer membranes of tumors. Six weeks after tumor cells were injected, mice on the high-cholesterol diet had larger tumors and twice as many of them compared to those on a low- cholesterol diet. When mice on a high-cholesterol diet were given statin drugs to lower cholesterol, the tumors stopped growing. We do not know if these results apply to humans, but this study suggests one more reason to control your cholesterol.

10/30/05