| Abstract: | In the on-going study of men retiring from the Self-Defense Forces in Japan, we previously reported that serum total cholesterol was not related to colorectal adenomas but that men with low levels of serum highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol had an elevated adenoma risk. We examined whether the previous observation was reproducible in a different set of data accrued subsequently in the study. Serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides were compared between 138 cases of colorectal adenomas at the depth of 60 cm or less from the anus and 909 controls with normal sigmoidoscopy in the period from October 1988 to December 1990. There was virtually no relation between adenoma risk and any of the serum lipids studied with or without adjustment for smoking, alcohol use, and body mass index. In the analysis combining the earlier and present data, however, men with large adenomas ( 10 mm, n=25) tended to have lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol compared with controls (n=1,612); adjusted mean differences were –0.21 mmol/l (P=0.24) and –0.26 mmol/l (P=0.13), respectively. These findings are inconclusive, but hypocholesterolemia may be associated with the growth of colorectal adenoma.Dr Kono is with the Department of Public Health, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. Drs Imanishi, Shinchi, and Yanai are with the Self-Defense Forces Fukuoka Hospital, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka, Japan. Address correspondence to Dr Kono, Department of Public Health, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359, Japan. The work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research (2–3) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan. |
