Prostate Cancer and Obesity: A Deadly Combination
That annoying spare tire that some men in Austin have dismissed as an inevitable part of the aging process may also fuel a more dangerous and life threatening situation – prostate cancer. According to a recent study at Duke University Medical Center, obese men may carry up to six times more risk for developing this deadly cancer than men of normal weight. Even mildly overweight men seem to carry an elevated risk. The message is clear: If you are a prostate cancer patient or survivor in Austin, watch your weight!
Dr. Christopher Kato and his team studied 287 men who had recurrences of their cancer after under-going radical prostatectomies, or removal of the prostate gland. The study group first received treatment designed to lower their testosterone levels, eliminating excess testosterone as a potential factor in the cancer’s spread.
This treatment continued for a median 52-month period, with the entire study period extending for six years following prostatectomy. The doctors found that the higher an individual’s BMI (body mass index), the higher the risk of the spread of prostate cancer. In fact, 77 percent of the study group had a BMI above the normal limit of 24.9. Even the overweight but non-obese members of the study displayed 3 times the risk of a normal BMI for prostate cancer. And these findings weren’t the first, either – earlier studies had already indicated a doubled risk where obesity was involved.
Why would extra pounds stimulate prostate cancer growth? That’s unclear as yet, though it’s possible that obesity may result in a kind of inflammatory reaction in cells that in turn feeds the cancer. Whatever the exact cause, here at your source for men’s prostate health, Urology Austin, we urge you to keep your weight under control and stay as close to a normal BMI as possible.
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