Phone: (212) 746-5788
Fax: (212) 746-0975
April 23, 2010
Obesity and Smoking Increase Prostate Cancer Recurrence, Studies Show
by Denene Brox
Doctors have been urging people to eat right and stop smoking for years. It’s no secret that obesity and smoking adversely affect your health. Now there is even more reason to shape up and quit smoking – especially for men with prostate cancer.
Findings from two new studies show a direct link between obesity, smoking, prostate cancer recurrence and ultimately death, in men who have undergone a prostatectomy.
The first study is from a team of researchers led by Dr. Jing Ma, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. Dr. Ma’s team found that while obesity and smoking may not increase a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer, it certainly increases the odds that he will die from the disease. Ma’s team collected data from more than 27,000 men with prostate cancer over the course of 27 years. They found that every five-point increase in BMI (body mass index) increased the risk of death from prostate cancer by 52%. While men who smoked increased their risk of death by 55%.
Dr. Ma said in a Business Week article: "Compared to lean non-smokers, obese smokers had the highest risk of prostate cancer mortality.”
A second study by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health showed similar results. This team found that men who gained weight after a prostatectomy procedure doubled their risk of cancer recurrence. Corinne E. Joshu, a postdoctoral fellow and head researcher said that men who had prostate cancer and maintained a healthy weight, can decrease recurrence and improve their overall well-being.
Spring is the perfect time to start a new diet and exercise regime! Check out our posts on diet and exercise:
Easy Cancer-Fighting Exercises
Spring Into Fitness
Fighting Cancer with Food Pt. 1
Fighting Cancer with Food Pt. 2
Study Source: Business Week
Image via InterLinc
|