New research has found that lower cholesterol may reduce the risk of certain cancers. Low cholesterol reduces the risk of the most aggressive form of prostate cancer by about 60 percent. In addition, high levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) may reduce the risk of getting cancers of the lung, liver and others.

In the past it was believed that lower cholesterol increased the risk of cancer. However, it is now understood that low cholesterol actually results from cancer rather than being the cause of it.

The study found that low overall cholesterol reduced the risk of prostate cancer. The next step is to determine the relationship for high HDL and low LDL cholesterol. More studies, including randomized controlled trials are required to determine the link between cholesterol and cancer risk.