Men who gain around 12kg before turning 30 have a 27% greater risk of dying from prostate cancer in old age than those who maintain their teenage weight, early research has suggested, after a decades-long study into more than 250 000 Swedish men.
The analysis, which was presented at last week's European Congress on Obesity in Dublin, found that those who gained at least half a kilogram a year between the ages of 17 and 60 had a 10% greater risk of aggressive prostate cancer and a 29% greater risk of fatal prostate cancer, reports The Guardian.
But gaining weight more steeply puts you at a similar risk. A man putting on 13kg between 17 and 29 is associated with a 13% increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer and a 27% increased risk of fatal prostate cancer.
The findings, which are yet to be peer reviewed, were part of the Obesity and Disease Development Sweden study from 1963-2014.
Researchers analysed the data of Swedish men who had had their weight measured at least three times between the ages of 17 and 60.
Dr Marisa da Silva, of the department of translational medicine at Lund University, said: “Knowing more about the factors that cause prostate cancer is key to preventing it.
“We do not know if it is the weight gain itself or the long duration of being heavier that is the main driver of the association that we see. Nevertheless, one must gain weight to become heavier, so preventing a steep increase in weight in young men is imperative for the prevention of prostate cancer.”
Of the 258 477 Swedish men who had taken part in the study, 23 348 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with an average age at diagnosis of 70, with 4 790 of them dying from the disease.
With more than 1.4m cases diagnosed every year, prostate cancer is the most common cancer occurring in men.
Although many prostate cancers are slow-growing and may not cause a man harm during his lifetime, with eight in 10 men diagnosed in England living for at least 10 years after diagnosis, others can be more aggressive and harder to treat.
Previous research has suggested a strong link between excess body fat increases and the risk of aggressive and fatal prostate cancer.
Da Silva said: “Previous research has implicated elevated concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a hormone involved in cell growth and development, with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
“Levels of this hormone are raised in people with obesity and a steep increase in weight may fuel this elevation and the development of the cancer.”
No abstract available.
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