Men with extra four inches on waist at greater risk of dying from prostate cancer

Men with a “spare tyre” of excess weight around the waist are at greater risk of dying from prostate cancer, research has found for the first time.

A study by the University of Oxford found that for men who are overweight, nearly every extra four inches on the waist increased the chance of death by seven per cent.

The research found that cutting the average male body mass index (BMI) by five points – about 2.5 stone for a typical man – would save 1,300 lives a year.

Scientists said that until now, risk factors for the disease had not been conclusively identified, with previous studies too small to draw firm conclusions.

The new study, the largest of its kind involving 2.5 million men, showed that carrying weight around the abdomen is a serious prostate cancer risk.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with about 52,000 diagnoses annually, and almost 12,000 deaths.

Almost seven in 10 men in Britain are overweight or obese, with forecasts warning that the UK will have the worst obesity levels in Europe within a decade.

The research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, the Netherlands, found that for such men, every extra 3.9 inches on the waist increased their odds of dying from prostate cancer by seven per cent.

Scientists said that a typical man should keep their waistline below 36 inches to reduce the risk. Each five-point increase in BMI was found to increase the risk by 10 per cent.

Scientists calculated that about 1,300 lives could be saved every year from prostate cancer if the average BMI in the UK was five points lower.

For the average 5ft 10in man in Britain, weighing 13st 3lbs, a drop of five BMI points means losing about 2.5 stone.

Scientists have previously suggested that excess fat around the belly could be a risk factor for lethal prostate cancer.

However, researchers said that the small number of prostate cancer deaths included in individual studies “made it hard to draw firm conclusions”, until all the findings were brought together.

They concluded: “We found that men with higher total and central adiposity [fat around the belly and waist] have a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer than men with a healthy weight.”

Scientists said that several mechanisms may explain the link, and more research is needed.

Obesity is associated with inflammation, which may fuel cancer growth. They said diseases may also be harder to detect early in those of excess weight, with prostate-specific antigen tests thought to be less reliable.

Researchers added that those who were overweight may also be less likely to seek health advice.

The detailed research involved 19 studies, including one from 218,000 men from the UK Biobank, who were tracked for 12 years. During that time, 661 men died.

Separate research suggested that one in 41 men in the UK will die of prostate cancer.

Dr Aurora Perez-Cornago, the study’s lead author from the University of Oxford, said: “Knowing more about factors that increase the risk of prostate cancer is key to preventing it. The key message is if you are a healthy weight, try to maintain it, and if you are already obese or overweight, try to lose weight.”

The study, which is being published in the journal BMC Medicine and is funded by Cancer Research UK, came following NHS advice urging people to keep waistlines to less than half of their height to stay in good health.

Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence encouraged everyone to get out a tape measure and tackle stomach fat, in order to cut the risk of a host of health problems.

Previously, its advice suggested that BMI is enough to assess whether weight is healthy or not. However, the updated guidance issued earlier this month suggested that abdominal fat carries specific risks. For example, a man who is 6ft 2in would be at an increased health risk with a 37in waist.

Dr Perez-Cornago said: “Age, family history and black ethnicity are known risk factors, but they are not modifiable, and so it is important to discover risk factors that it is possible to change.”

Prostate cancer can be hard to diagnose, as prostate-specific antigen tests which can indicate an increased risk, are not a reliable indicator. When a disease is found, doctors undertake biopsies to see whether it is slow-growing – and in some cases could simply be monitored – or whether it is the aggressive form requiring the most urgent treatment.

The Oxford research, which examines the risks of lethal disease, tracked up to four different measures available to measure fat: BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body fat percentage.

‘Another reason for men to a maintain healthy weight’

Dr Perez-Cornago said: “More research is needed to determine if the association is biologically driven or due to delays in detection in men with higher adiposity. In either case, our latest results provide another reason for men to try to maintain a healthy weight.”

Obesity increases the risk of at least 13 types of cancer and has overtaken smoking as the leading cause of four major cancers.

Karis Betts, the senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “This research looks at the likelihood of dying from prostate cancer for people who are overweight or obese, but further studies to investigate whether obesity increases the risk of developing prostate cancer in the first place are needed.”

Simon Grieveson, the head of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This large-scale study suggests that being overweight is associated with an increased risk of dying from prostate cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight can protect against many cancers, but it is important to remember that prostate cancer can affect men of all shapes and sizes.”