The researchers concluded that men with a waist size of 37in (94cm) had a 13% higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer, as compared to men with a waist of 33in (84cm).
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The worldwide study, conducted among almost 150,000 men across 8 European countries has been called the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition or EPIC trial. Men were most at risk when their waist was bigger than 37in (94cm), the University of Oxford study found.
At the conclusion of the study, 7,000 incidents of prostate cancer were identified with 934 proving fatal.
A higher BMI and waist circumference also increased the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer, with a 14% higher risk observed for every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI, and an 18% increased risk for every 10 cm increase in waist circumference.
A recent study found that men who have larger waistlines have higher risks of developing an aggressive kind of prostate cancer.
Men should try to maintain a healthy weight as researchers have found that higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference are associated with an increased risk of severe prostate cancer.
So what has bulging waistlines have to do with prostate cancer? The scientists concentrated on aggressive prostate cancers and those which resulted in death. Also, the risk of dying from prostrate cancer increased with a high BMI and increased waist circumference.
In UK, more than 45,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, with at least 10,000 deaths reported annually.
Researchers highlighted the fact that their findings are aligned with health advice for all non-communicable diseases. “When tumor cells grow, they synthesize more cholesterol”, said Salman Hyder, a cancer specialist and professor of biomedical sciences in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center.
‘We already know that men over 50, black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are more likely to develop the disease. Prostate cancer normally occurs in the middle ages and not the early stages of a man’s life.
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‘Importantly, unlike the other known risk factors, being overweight is a risk factor that men can proactively do something to change’.
