Being fat in your teens or twenties increases your risk of dying from prostate cancer by nearly a third, research shows.
Carrying excess weight between the ages of 17 and 29 significantly increased both the risk of developing an aggressive form of the disease and dying from it, a large study showed.
Obesity leads to increased levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a hormone involved in cell growth and development, which scientists believe may cause the disease.
While people can’t change risk factors such as age and family history, experts suggest this shows that maintaining a healthy weight is something men can manage to reduce their chances of developing prostate cancer.
Carrying excess weight between the ages of 17 and 29 significantly increased both the risk of developing an aggressive form of the disease and dying from it, a large study showed
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 52,000 cases per year and the second most common cause of cancer death, with nearly 12,000 deaths per year. It kills about 32,000 men in the US each year, and another 225,000 are diagnosed.
While many prostate cancers grow slowly and may not cause any harm in a person’s lifetime, others are more aggressive, spread quickly beyond the prostate and are more difficult to treat.
Scientists wanted to investigate whether obesity was a risk factor for different strains of the disease.
Researchers analyzed data from 258,477 men in Sweden whose weight had been measured at least three times between 1963 and 2019 between 1963 and 2019.
During that time, about 23,348 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,790 men died from it, with an average age of 70 at diagnosis, according to findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity.
They found that weight gain earlier in life was greatest in the study group, averaging 1.6 pounds per year at ages 17 to 29, 0.75 pounds at ages 30 to 44, and 0.5 pounds between ages 45 and 60 year.
Those who gained 1.1 pounds per year had a 10 and 29 percent higher risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer and dying, respectively, compared to those who maintained a healthy weight.
Further analysis showed this was caused by weight gain while they were younger, with those who gained 2.2 pounds a year between the ages of 17 and 29 — a total of 21 pounds — having a 13 percent increased risk of aggressive disease and a 27 percent increased risk of dying from it.
Dr. Marisa da Silva, from Lund University, Sweden, said the findings suggest that preventing weight gain in young adulthood may reduce the risk of aggressive and deadly prostate cancer.
“Knowing more about the factors that cause prostate cancer is key to preventing it.
“The only established risk factors, such as increasing age, a family history of the disease and various genetic markers, cannot be changed, making it vital to identify risk factors that can be changed.”
She added: ‘Previous research has implicated elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a hormone involved in cell growth and development, with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
‘The levels of this hormone are elevated in obese people, and strong weight gain can fuel this elevation and the development of cancer.
“We don’t know if it’s the weight gain itself or the long duration of being overweight that’s the main driver of the association we’re seeing.”
“Still, you have to gain weight to gain weight, so preventing strong weight gain in young men is imperative to prevent prostate cancer.”
Simon Grieveson, assistant director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Several studies have shown a possible correlation between being overweight and aggressive prostate cancer, and this study builds on that by suggesting that weight gain at a young age is associated with an increased risk.” of death from the disease.
“While these results are intriguing, more research is needed to fully understand the biological link between obesity and prostate cancer – and especially how we can use this information to improve outcomes for men.”