Scientists Claim Men With 40+ Inch Waist Are at a Higher Risk for Prostate Cancer
A study suggests that men who mainly 'store most of their fat around their midriff' were more likely to die from prostate cancer.
A recent study suggests men who store fat around their midriff are more likely to die from prostate cancer. Specifically, a male with a 40-inch or more the waistline is found to have a 35-percent increased risk of dying from the said cancer type compared to a man with a 35-inch or less waist.
This particular study by Oxford University that examined over 200,000 did not find a higher risk in individuals who have increased overall body fat when spread all over the body.
Relatively, the said research proposes that it is the fat's specific location that makes men more susceptible to prostate cancer.
Fat stored in the belly, the study indicates, is considered as the riskiest type as it covers a human's vital organs like the liver, intestines, and pancreas.
Researchers also said it might affect the organs' normal function, not to mention the cancerous cells' growth.
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10-Year Monitoring of Cancer-Free Males
This latest study, exhibited at the 2020 European and International Conference on Obesity or ECOICO, studied 218,225 cancer-free males in the United Kingdom whose medical record is stored in the UK Biobank.
Researchers said they followed the male participants for a decade, studying their body mass index or BMI, percentage of total body fat, their waist-to-hip ratio, and waist circumference.
The study found men in the upper 25 percent for waist circumference were 35-percent more likely to die because of prostate cancer than those in the lower 25 percent.
Meanwhile, the larger group comprised men whose waists measured above 40 inches. Researchers noted that hip bones are not included in the waist, although they are the soft section found "between the pelvis and ribs," level with the belly button. On the other hand, men who belong to the smallest group were those with waists below 35 inches.
Men in the upper 25 percent for "waist-to-hip" ratio, another gauge of how much fat is found around the belly part, were 34-percent more likely to die compared to men in the lower 25 percent.
The same study also found that the risk remained even if medical records and lifestyle aspects were both factored in.
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BMI and Prostate Cancer
No clear link was found, though, between a male individual's BMI or total percentage of fat and prostate cancer. Meaning, even a male who was generally fatter or heavier may not be a similar level of higher risk of most of that fast got stored in their arms and legs.
The research suggests men who particularly store most of their fat around their midriff were more likely to die from prostate cancer.
According to Oxford nutritional epidemiologist, Dr. Aurora Perez-Cornago, also the study leader, they found a considerable link between the body's concentration and the body fat surrounding the waist and belly, and the risk of death from the cancer type.
However, researchers said there was no apparent connection between total body fat and the risk of mortality because of prostate cancer.
Furthermore, a more significant number of cases in this research, the study authors said, along with other works in other populaces, are needed to validate such findings.
Dr. Perez Cornago explained, "A high BMI increases the risk of other illnesses," which include other cancer types. Thus, there is a need to consider the effects of extra body fat, regardless of location in the body.
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Sep 03, 2020 08:40 AM EDT
