Several investigations have indicated that there is a relationship between obesity and various types of cancer, but a recent study published in the journal BMCMedicine, identified that there is a relationship between having a high body mass index (BMI), in addition to a large waist diameter, with a higher risk of death from prostate cancer.
Although obesity has been linked to 13 other types of tumor, including those of the stomach, liver, pancreas and kidney, the association between prostate cancer and weight has only just begun to be detected by scientists, according to the work presented at the European Congress on Obesity in the Netherlands.
In the new study, British scientists examined data from 218,237 men enrolled in the UK Biobank. The participants, whose data on BMI and waist measurement had been recorded when they enrolled in the research, were studied for about 12 years, during which time 661 of them died from prostate cancer.
After analyzing the health data of patients who lost their lives, the researchers found that for every five additional points in a man’s BMI, there was a 7 percent greater chance of mortality from this disease, for every 10 extra centimeters in waist, the risk of dying increased 6 percent.
“Knowing more about the factors that increase the risk of suffering from this cancer is key to preventing it,” said Aurora Pérez-Cornago, director of the research and member of the University of Oxford. The study indicates that up to 1,300 deaths from prostate cancer could be prevented in the UK if men lost weight.
Based on the findings, the researchers estimated that if men could drop five points from their BMI score, which for men ages 55 to 64 is 28.9 on average, already classifying themselves as overweight, the risk of death would drop considerably.
Many of the mechanisms behind the findings are still unknown. “Further research is needed to determine whether the association is biologically driven or due to delays in (disease) detection in men with higher adiposity (body fat),” Pérez-Cornago said. “In any case, our results provide another reason for men to try to maintain a healthy weight,” she pointed out.
Karis Betts, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, added: “The work looks at the chance of dying from cancer for people who are overweight or obese, but more study is needed to know. if that problem increases the risk of developing the disease in the first place. While the jury is out on the relationship between these conditions, maintaining a healthy weight is still important, as obesity causes 13 other types of cancer.”
Simon Grieveson, head of the organization Prostate Cancer UK, cautioned: “While these results are compelling, more research is needed to fully understand the biological relationship between obesity and prostate cancer and, more importantly, how we can use this information to improve outcomes for men. Maintaining a healthy weight can protect against many cancers, but it’s important to remember that prostate cancer can affect men of all shapes and sizes.”
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