Statins protect prostate, slash erectile dysfunction risk: Study

In a trail conducted by researchers at the Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, statin drug users were found three times less likely to suffer from prostate cancer and other urological complaints like erectile dysfunction, benign prostate enlargement and urinary problems, researchers assert.

For the study, 2,447 men aged between 40 and 79 year were tracked for 15 years. While one-third were taking statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) for their cardiovascular health, others were non-users.

During a 15 year follow-up, 6 percent (38 men) from the statin user group were diagnosed with prostate cancer. On the other hand, men not taking statins were three times more likely to develop prostate cancer, the researchers said.

Statin users were also less likely to develop erectile dysfunction (inability to attain or sustain an erection firm enough to carry-on and complete a sexual intercourse), but benefits were broadly usage based, researchers reported. While a long-term statin use (for 9 years) slashed the risk of erectile dysfunction by 64 percent, a shorter usage span (less than 3 years) bagged no such benefits, researchers highlighted.

Furthermore, researchers observed a 57 percent lower risk of benign prostate enlargement and 63 percent reduced risk of urinary complaints among statin users, as against men not taking statins, researchers said.

While previous studies had suggested a link between statins and prostate cancer prevention, limited evidence existed to support this theory. But now “our research provides evidence that statin use is associated with a threefold reduced risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer,” study’s lead researcher, Rodney Breau, a Mayo Clinic urologic oncology fellow stated.

“If you are taking a statin for a heart condition or to lower cholesterol, these studies suggest that statins could have other benefits,” study author Jennifer St. Sauver, a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist marked.

Prostate cancer, a malignancy of the prostate gland in the male reproductive system, is the second-leading cancer killer among men. According to the American Cancer Society estimates, it adds nearly 218,000 new cases with over 28000 deaths in the United States each year.

The results were reported Sunday at the conference of the American Urological Association in Chicago.