Obesity Can Increase Prostate Cancer Death Risks: Study

1. As if avoiding type 2 diabetes, heart disease and a long list of other health concerns weren’t reasons enough to motivate obese men to take action, a new study casts light on the dangers being overweight can pose in prostate cancer patients. The study found that men who are obese may see their risks of high-grade, aggressive cancer rise right along with their mortality risk. To arrive at their troubling findings, researchers looked at data related to more than 140,000 men from several countries across the world. The analysis found a strong association between body mass index and waist circumference with higher grade prostate cancer. The risk of mortality also rose right along with subjects’ weight. The study’s findings back several other research efforts that show a strong link between obesity and the development of potentially fatal prostate cancer.

2. The American Cancer Society estimates about 161,000 men across the country will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the coming year. Courtesy of early screening tools and advanced treatments, more men are surviving this disease. Even so, certain risk factors can promote the development of more aggressive, harder-to-treat tumors. Obesity, as the study points out, is one of the risk factors. Men who are overweight are strongly urged to take steps to lose weight and keep it off. Doing so can dramatically reduce risks for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain forms of cancer and a host of other conditions. As the study found, losing weight may also safeguard against higher-risk prostate cancers. If losing weight through traditional diet and exercise does not produce desired results, doctors can help men some up with a more effective weight loss solution. About 26,000 men across America die from prostate cancer each year. Men who want to take action against this disease are urged to talk to their doctors about their risks, routine screening and preventive measures they can take.