The European Society of Cardiology’s Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biology 2014, an event held in Barcelona, Spain in July, uncovered a link between breast cancer and hyperlipidemia. Apparently, those who have the condition have a higher chance of developing breast cancer.
Hyperlipidemia is a condition in which the body has too many lipids, or fat within the bloodstream. While lipids don’t necessarily harm a woman, they can if too large of an amount develops, as is the case with hyperlipidemia.
The condition can cause a number of other health defects, including atherosclerosis, where a woman’s arteries become stiffer and thus cannot handle blood flow. Atherosclerosis, if left unchecked, can lead to a stroke or the development of heart disease. Therefore, maintaining a normal amount of lipids should be optimal.
According to a study presented at the conference by Rahul Potluri of Aston University in the United Kingdom, he and his team found that breast cancer should be added to that above list of conditions that a woman with hyperlipidemia can develop. The study reviewed women who had hyperlipidemia against those that don’t and determined both sets’ chances of developing breast cancer.
Of the 664,159 women studied by Potluri and his team, up to 22,938 or roughly 3.5 percent had hyperlipidemia. Of those women, 9,312 or roughly 2.3 percent developed breast cancer from the condition. Only 1.4 percent of women without hyperlipidemia developed breast cancer.
Potluri made a statement about the findings of his study, stating: “Our preliminary study suggests that women with high cholesterol in their blood may be at greater risk of getting breast cancer. It raises the possibility of preventing breast cancer with statins, which lower cholesterol, but as this is a primitive study, significant time and research is needed before this idea can be tested.”
According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, women can take a number of steps to keep their cholesterol at a reasonable level and prevent the onset of hyperlipidemia. They should cut their fat intake to reflect only between 25-35 percent of their total calories consumed and lower their saturated fat intake to reflect only seven percent of their total calories consumed. Women should also consume no more than 200 milligrams of sodium on a daily basis. Certain fish can also keep cholesterol under control, including sardines, salmon, and mackerel.
Women should also make it a point to schedule a yearly breast examination to prevent breast cancer. If any changes to breast health occur, a woman should not hesitate to visit her doctor immediately.
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