A new study looks at the link between cholesterol lowering drugs and cancer. Should you be concerned? Dr. Marla Shapiro provides more information.
- Statins are a kind of drug that millions of people take to lower their cholesterol.
- A new study in the July 31 Journal of the American College of Cardiology takes a look at statins.
- It found an unexpected result - that people with low LDL cholesterol (that's the bad kind of cholesterol) showed an increased risk of cancer.
- It's too early to say that low LDL rates, or this kind of medication, actually cause cancer - but it's concerning enough that it merits future study
- What the study concludes is that the benefits of statin therapy outweighs the potential small risk of cancer
- Previous studies have show that lowering bad cholesterol by using statins has a significant benefit for people at high risk of heart and stroke.
- Other past studies have also shown that women who are taking statins do not have a higher risk of breast cancer. In fact, statin users tend to have lower breast cancer rates.
- Another study in the Journal of American Medical Association in 2005 said statins had no effect on the risk of cancer.
- Statins can also reduce the risk of dementia and Parkinson's disease. There has been other research that says statins lower rates of bone fractures.
- Overwhelming evidence for doctors is that statin use in high risk patients significantly lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- If you're on statins, you should talk to your doctor about potential side effects.
