Data collected from a study of 1,214 men prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins) between 1990 and 2006 at the Durham Veteran Affairs Medical Center in North Carolina shows that PSA levels were reduced after starting statin medications and that this decline was proportional to the decline in LDL cholesterol. Researchers presented their findings to reporters in a special press conference on May 21, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.
In 2007, a retrospective study showed that men taking statins to lower their cholesterol also experienced a proportional decline in their PSA levels. This new study confirms that evidence and highlights the fact that cholesterol may play a role in prostate cancer development and progression. Data was collected from men who were free of prostate cancer, had not undergone prostate surgery or taken medicine to alter androgen levels, and whose PSA was between 0.1 and 10.0 ng/ml. The outcome of this study, if confirmed by additional research, could provide further evidence for the role cholesterol plays in prostate biology.
The results of this study indicate that cholesterol and PSA are valuable indicators of overall health for men and should continue to be monitored together. It remains to be seen whether or not lowering your PSA through statin medications could potentially mask the presence of prostate disease.
