Cholesterol checks may reveal a higher prostate cancer risk

Men with lower blood cholesterol may be protected against the most deadly forms of prostate cancer, a study has shown.

Scientists in the US found that men in the "normal" cholesterol range were almost 60 per cent less likely to suffer an aggressive cancer than those with higher readings.

The evidence emerged from a study of 5,586 men in the US aged 55 and older. Over a three year period, 1,251 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Those with total blood cholesterol readings in the "normal" range below 200 milligrams per decilitre had a 59 per cent reduced risk of developing aggressive tumours.

High-grade prostate cancers, known as "tigers", tend to grow and spread rapidly. They are identified by a "Gleason score" - a measurement of aggressiveness - of between eight and 10.

Cholesterol levels appeared to have no impact on overall prostate cancer risk, only the chances of suffering an aggressive form of the disease, the researchers found.

The findings have been published online in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Study leader Dr Elizabeth Platz, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said: "For many reasons, we know that it's good to have a cholesterol level within the normal range. Now, we have more evidence that among the benefits of low cholesterol may be a lower risk for potentially deadly prostate cancers."

Targeting cholesterol metabolism may provide a new treatment route for prostate cancer, the researchers suggest.

Each year around 35,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer and 10,000 die from the disease.