Last Updated: 2003-08-20 14:11:38 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Under certain circumstances, the risk of developing prostate cancer seems to be lower for men with a high body mass index than for those with a lower BMI.
The effect of body weight on prostate cancer risk is complex, note Dr. Edward Giovannucci, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and associates in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "Obesity is associated with various hormonal factors," they point out, and "the influence of BMI may differ according to whether the cancers are hereditary or sporadic."
The researchers looked at this question using data from an ongoing study that is tracking more than 50,000 male health professionals. Between February 1, 1986 and January 31, 2000, prostate cancer developed in 2896 of the men.
Among men who were younger than 60 years of age or who had a family history of prostate cancer, the risk of developing prostate cancer was lower if they were obese (i.e., with a BMI of 30 or greater) than if they had a normal-weight BMI between 23 and 25.
BMI did not have a significant influence on the risk for sporadic prostate cancer, the researchers found.
"Because obesity is associated with lower circulating concentrations of testosterone, our results suggest the hypothesis that (male hormones) may play a more direct role for early-onset or hereditary prostate cancers than for sporadic prostate cancers," Giovannucci's team concludes.