Women with high cholesterol may be at a greater risk of developing breast cancer, a new study out of the U.K. suggests.
Researchers found the association in a study of more than one million patients over a 14-year time period. In the study, those with high cholesterol were 1.6 times more likely to develop breast cancer.
The study's lead author Dr. Rahul Potluri said he wasn't surprised with the results, as a similar study on mice yielded conclusive results.
He said if a link between high cholesterol and breast cancer is confirmed, it opens the door to reducing the risk of the disease by treating women with cholesterol-lowering drugs.
"Any intervention that can lower cholesterol could be a potential treatment," Potluri told CTV News. "The main ones I'm thinking of are statins as they are routinely available, cheap, and in most cases relatively safe."
However, some studies have shown that high doses of statins – drugs used to lower cholesterol levels – could be linked to an increased risk of diabetes.
Ontario-based oncologist Dr. Orit Freedman said she's intrigued by the study, but more research is needed to conclusively prove that high cholesterol can boost the risk of developing breast cancer.
"Maybe those women with high cholesterol are also the women, for instance, who are obese. Or are also women who are not physically active," she said, adding that those factors are already known risks associated with breast cancer.
With a report from CTV National News’ Vanessa Lee
