Depending on the site, high consumption of cholesterol may increase cancer development risk in healthy adults.

This study investigated the relationship between cholesterol intake and cancer development risk. Using data obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation, researchers examined the diets of 1,189,719 Korean adults for 14 years.

Researchers discovered that high consumption of total cholesterol was associated with greater incidence of prostate and colon cancers in men and breast cancer in women. On the other hand, this study seemed to suggest that high total cholesterol intake diminished the risk of developing stomach, liver, and lung cancers in men and women. This analysis suggests that consuming large quantities of cholesterol may actually reduce the chances of developing liver, lung, and stomach cancers but is associated with elevated breast, prostate, and colon cancer risk.