Adult Weight Gain Linked to Prostate Death

Higher body mass index and weight gain in adulthood correlated strongly with increased risk of death from prostate cancer, say U.S. researchers.

However, no such association was found between BMI or weight gain and the development of the cancer, according to Margaret E. Wright of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

The researchers followed 287,760 men ages 50 to 71 as part of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study to examine the individual impact of BMI and adult weight change on the incidence, severity and outcome of prostate cancer.

The researchers found that higher BMI and weight gain since the age of 18 were associated with significantly higher risk of death from prostate cancer. As BMI increased, so did the relative risk of death. Men who were overweight — BMI 25 to 29.9 — had a 25-percent higher risk; mildly obese men — BMI 30 to 34.9 — had a 46-percent higher risk; and severely obese men — BMI greater than 35 — had a 100-percent, or doubled risk. Similarly, men who gained weight since the age of 18 were also at increased risk of a fatal outcome.

Neither overweight nor obesity, however, was associated with developing prostate cancer, according to the study published online ahead of publication in the Feb. 15 issue of Cancer.