"Strong correlation" between obesity and death from prostate cancer
TUESDAY 9 JANUARY 2007
There is a "strong correlation" between obesity and the risk of dying from prostate cancer, a study has revealed.
The US National Cancer Institute study examined the incidence and outcomes of prostate cancer in 287,760 men aged between 50 and 71.
Although the research did not demonstrate any link between obesity or weight gain and the likelihood of developing prostate cancer, the risk of dying from the disease increased
significantly with body mass index (BMI).
Men with prostate cancer who were described as overweight - those with a BMI of between 25 and 29.9 - had a 25 per cent increase in risk of death.
For those classed as mildly obese - a BMI between 30 and 34.9 - the risk of dying increased by 46 per cent. And for those classed as severely obese - a BMI above 35 - the risk increased by 100 per cent, doubling the chance of dying of prostate cancer.
The risk of dying was also increased in men with prostate cancer who had gained weight since the age of 18. This is the first study to identify this link.
The study will be published in the journal Cancer in mid-February.
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