Obesity, dietary fats affect prostate cancer risk

A new study published in the Jul-Aug 2009 issue of Actas Urologicas Españolas suggests that being obese and eating too much of fats may raise the risk of developing prostate cancer in men.

Dietary habits and body mass index have been linked to prostate cancer risk. In the current study, López Fontana CM at Universidad Juan Agustín Maza and colleagues examined the effect of BMI and food intake, particularly fats and antioxidants in subjects with prostate cancer and study controls.

For the study, 40 men aged 50 to 80,  20 diagnosed with prostate cancer and a control group of 20 healthy men, underwent a series of examinations, including digital rectal examination, prostate specific antigen level, ultrasound and transrectal prostate biopsy.  The researchers interviewed the subjects for their dietary habits and took anthropometric measurements.

BMI was found higher in the study subjects with prostate cancer than the controls, 29.8 kg/m2 versus 27.96 kg/m2, but the difference was not statistically significant. However, BMI was associated with tumor aggressiveness.

Certain  diet components were linked to prostate cancer risk. Total, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat intake was significantly higher in subjects with the disease, while omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C and lycopene intake was significantly lower in the prostate cancer patients.

An estimated 192,280 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009.  The disease is expected to kill 27,360 men in the country this year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

By David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton

Source:

Body mass index and diet affect prostate cancer development
López Fontana CM, Recalde Rincón GM, Messina Lombino D, Uvilla Recupero AL, Pérez Elizalde RF, López Laur JD.
Laboratorio de Enfermedades Metabólicas y Cáncer, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad Juan Agustín Maza, Guaymallén, Mendoza, Argentina. investigacioncap@yahoo.com.ar
Comment in:    * Actas urologicas españolas 2009 Jul-Aug;33(7):730-1.