If we already suspected a possible association between overweight and prostate cancer, a new study large-scale British came to confirm this hypothesis. Published in the journal BMC Medicine on May 5, she looked at data for 218,237 men — BMI, percentage of total body fat, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio — from the Biobank database. And that’s not all: the researchers also used data from existing studies on the links between overweight and prostate cancer, bringing together in total some 2.5 million cases.
Over an 11-year follow-up period, they sought to test the association between adiposity, fat accumulation in cellular tissue, and disease-related mortality. And according to their results, the risk of dying from prostate cancer is much higher when the patient is overweight. And the more extra pounds, the higher the risk.
And if some researchers had already assumed that the appearance of prostate cancer could be favored by abdominal fat (the one that accumulates on the stomach) the new study sweeps this theory aside. “Wherever the fat is, it doesn’t matter much“said epidemiologist Aurora Perez-Cornago, lead author of the study.
Consult a doctor at the first signs of illness
This study nevertheless has an important limitation: it does not explain exactly why overweight men die more of prostate cancer. But this overweight could be a telltale sign of lack of attention to his health on the part of some men. “Men with higher baseline adiposity were more likely to be older, to drink more than 20g of alcohol per day (equivalent to two drinks), to be physically inactive, and to have high blood pressure and diabetes than men in the lower BMI and waist circumference quartiles“, indicates the study.
And the lack of consultation with the doctor at the first symptoms of prostate cancer may explain the higher mortality. “For example, suppose they go to the bathroom more often at night, a classic symptom of prostate cancer: they may not feel like going to see a doctor.“, concludes the epidemiologist. Cancers taken care of later can indeed prove to be more deadly.
Sources:
- Adiposity and risk of prostate cancer death: a prospective analysis in UK Biobank and meta-analysis of published studies, BMC MedicineMay 5, 2022
- Ameli.fr
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