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• Posted July 31, 2024

Can Non-Statin Cholesterol Meds Help Your Liver?

Prior studies have found that statin meds can help lower liver cancer risks, and new research suggests that at least one non-statin cholesterol drug can do the same.

A team led by Katherine McGlynn of the U.S. National Cancer Institute looked at the health histories of almost 19,000 people tracked by the U.K.'s Clinical Practice Research Datalink. 

About 3,700 of them developed liver cancer, and their medication use was compared to almost 15,000 others who did not get the disease.

McGlynn's team linked use of a non-statin form of cholesterol-lowering meds, called cholesterol absorption inhibitors, to 31% lower odds of developing liver cancer. Their findings were reported July 29 in the journal Cancer.

The link held when the researchers accounted for other risk factors such as diabetes and liver disease status. 

The study also re-confirmed that statins lower liver cancer risk by 35%.

But the use of three other medicines used to lower cholesterol -- fibrates, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin -- did not seem to affect liver cancer risk, the research showed. Risks attributed to another drug type, bile acid sequestrants, were inconclusive.

“As few studies have examined the effects of non-statin cholesterol-lowering drugs on liver cancer risk, the results of our study require replication in other populations," McGlynn said in a journal news release. "If our findings are confirmed in other studies, however, our results may inform liver cancer prevention research."

More information

Find out more about liver cancer at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

SOURCE: Wiley journals, news release, July 29, 2024