Men who gain about 13 kilograms from their teenage weight before turning 30 have a 27 percent higher risk of dying of prostate cancer in old age. This results from a ten-year study involving more than 250,000 Swedes.
Men who gained at least half a kilogram a year between the ages of 17 and 60 had a ten percent higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer. They also had a 29 percent greater chance that their prostate cancer would be fatal, according to an analysis reported by The Guardian newspaper.
But there is a similar risk with a sudden increase in weight. A man who gains 13 kilograms between the ages of 17 and 29 is 13 percent more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer and 27 percent more likely to die from the disease.
The findings emerged from a study conducted between 1963 and 2014. Researchers analyzed data from Swedish men who had their weight measured at least three times between the ages of 17 and 60. Keeping your weight low could be essential to prevent prostate cancer, the study authors said.
Of the 258,477 Swedes who took part in the study, 23,348 participants were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with the average age at diagnosis being 70 years. A total of 4,790 men died of this disease.
With more than 1.4 million cases diagnosed annually, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Although prostate cancer can grow slowly and may not cause any harm to a man during his lifetime, some can be more aggressive and harder to treat.
Previous research has also suggested a strong link between excess body fat and the risk of aggressive and deadly prostate cancer.
“Several studies have suggested a possible link between being overweight and aggressive prostate cancer, and this study builds on these by suggesting that weight gain at an early age is associated with an increased risk of dying from the disease,” said Simon Grieveson, from the Prostate Cancer Research Organisation. Prostate Cancer UK.
“Maintaining a healthy weight can protect against many cancers, but it’s important to remember that prostate cancer can affect men of all weights, shapes and sizes,” he added. “Men over the age of 50, black men and men with a family history are most at risk of developing the condition, and should contact their doctor if they are concerned,” he added.
