The connection between cancer and cholesterol.
Can Cholesterol Be Too Low?
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Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Can our cholesterol be too low, though? In the 1980s, some studies came out showing that many people dying from cancer have really low cholesterol. There are two possible explanations for this correlation: the cancer led to the low cholesterol; or, maybe, low cholesterol led to cancer. That wouldn’t be good.
To this day, there are doctors telling people not to let their cholesterol get too low based on that data. Are they right? Can our bad cholesterol—LDL—be too low?
The answer is no. It appears our cholesterol can never be too low; the lower the better. Brand new studies have put the controversy to rest. In fact, the opposite may be true. Lower cholesterol means less heart disease risk, and now, we know it may lower cancer risk as well.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Jacobs EJ, Gapstur SM. Cholesterol and cancer: answers and new questions. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Nov;18(11):2805-6.
- Platz EA, Till C, Goodman PJ, Parnes HL, Figg WD, Albanes D, Neuhouser ML, Klein EA, Thompson IM Jr, Kristal AR. Men with low serum cholesterol have a lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer in the placebo arm of the prostate cancer prevention trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Nov;18(11):2807-13. Epub 2009 Nov 3.
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
Can our cholesterol be too low, though? In the 1980s, some studies came out showing that many people dying from cancer have really low cholesterol. There are two possible explanations for this correlation: the cancer led to the low cholesterol; or, maybe, low cholesterol led to cancer. That wouldn’t be good.
To this day, there are doctors telling people not to let their cholesterol get too low based on that data. Are they right? Can our bad cholesterol—LDL—be too low?
The answer is no. It appears our cholesterol can never be too low; the lower the better. Brand new studies have put the controversy to rest. In fact, the opposite may be true. Lower cholesterol means less heart disease risk, and now, we know it may lower cancer risk as well.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Jacobs EJ, Gapstur SM. Cholesterol and cancer: answers and new questions. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Nov;18(11):2805-6.
- Platz EA, Till C, Goodman PJ, Parnes HL, Figg WD, Albanes D, Neuhouser ML, Klein EA, Thompson IM Jr, Kristal AR. Men with low serum cholesterol have a lower risk of high-grade prostate cancer in the placebo arm of the prostate cancer prevention trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Nov;18(11):2807-13. Epub 2009 Nov 3.
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Can Cholesterol Be Too Low?
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
Interested in more on cholesterol? Check out these videos:
Cholesterol Crystals May Tear Though our Artery Lining
Optimal Cholesterol Level
Switching from Beef to Chicken & Fish May Not Lower Cholesterol
And check out my other videos on cholesterol.
For more context, see my associated blog post: Stool Size & Breast Cancer Risk.
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