Why does high cholesterol increase the risk of colon cancer? It is known that a diet rich in foods that raise cholesterol such as red meats, fried foods, excess of certain types of fats (saturated, especially long-chain) has been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer. This is because it is hypothesized that a diet high in cholesterol can increase cholesterol, and especially bad or LDL cholesterol. What is certain is that those with high cholesterol, due to a wrong lifestyle, stress, smoking, alcohol and bad eating habits, are at greater risk of colon cancer, even if until now there was no explanation for that this happened from a scientific point of view. An increase in bad cholesterol in fact predisposes to the onset of inflammatory, atherosclerotic plaques, increasing the cardiovascular risk: but what is the mechanism that leads those with high cholesterol to have a higher risk of colorectal cancer?

The answer could be given by this very interesting study , which links high cholesterol as a cause of colorectal cancer developmentIn summary, according to researchers at the UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, high cholesterol would lead to an imbalance in the division of intestinal stem cells, which would differentiate more rapidly causing damage to the intestinal walls. This imbalance would lead to the formation and rapid spread of colorectal cancers.
The study was done on mice: some mice were fed cholesterol-rich foods in the laboratory, others were manipulated to produce more endogenous cholesterol, but in both groups it was seen that intestinal degeneration led to a greater speed of reproduction. colorectal cancer. The scholars also said that the same mechanism could occur for other forms of cancer (source ).