Prostate Cancer - Cholesterol Lowering Products May Help

Men aged fifty and over are at risk for prostate problems and possibly even prostate cancer. Medical research has shown that there is a possibility that statin medications, normally used to lower cholesterol, may be helpful in cutting the risk of getting advanced prostate cancer in half. . This includes the use of drugs such as such as Lipitor, Mevacor, and Zocor. This research is based on ten years of data and is still in the early, observational stages. Preliminary findings are that they will not help with preventing or lowering the chance of getting early, curable prostate cancer.

How this was found

In 1990 there was a study of 34,438 men between the ages of 44 and 79 who did not have prostate cancer. Over the next years they filled out health surveys that included the use of cholesterol lowering medications. In the year 2000 ninety percent of the men in the survey said that they were taking statin drugs for their cholesterol and in the same year 2,074 men were confirmed as having prostate cancer.

The researcher compared the two groups of men in the study - the ones taking statins and the ones not taking it - and found that the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer was cut in half, and the risk of fatal cancer was cut by a third. They also found that the longer the patient took the statin medication, the less the risk of cancer became. They determined that there was a correlation between prostate cancer risk factors and taking medicines such as Lipitor.

The correlation between cancer cells and cholesterol

Medical researchers are now working on determining if statin medications actually has some properties that interfere with the cancer or if simply lowering cholesterol levels help lower the risk. Because cholesterol clogs arteries and has been found in prostate cancer cells, there is good indication that the medicine works on them as well, especially since it has already been found to dispose of damaged cells through apoptosis, which is the process of the cells dying the normal programmed death.

Statins have also been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a big problem with many different cancers all over the body. Unfortunately the information on how statins work is still very informal and has not been reported in any medical journals yet. The medical community is conducting intensive research before making many announcements.

How Lipitor works

Lipitor, a possible statin that could be used for prostate problems, lowers cholesterol by blocking the production of cholesterol in the body. It helps prevent heart disease, hardening of the arteries, heart attack, stroke, and vascular disease. It also lowers the risk of all of these problems in patients with coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Whether or not it will be useful in the treatment of prostate problems remains to be seen. Always make sure you take medicines such as Lipitor under the care and advice of your primary physician and never take it for conditions they have not recommended the medication for.

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