Men’s larger waists linked to prostate cancer death

Men with larger waists are more likely to die from prostate cancer, a study of more than 200,000 men in the UK has suggested.

Researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford sought to examine the relationship b et ween measures of fat in the body and the risk of death from the disease.

A total of 218,225 cancerfree men who were participants in the UK Biobank study, which recruited volunteers aged 40 to 69 b et ween 2006 and 2010, were selected for the research.

Scientists monitored their health for an average often years, including looking at data covering body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio.

During the follow-up period, 571 men died from prostate cancer.

Researchers found those men in the top 25 per cent for waist circumference – more than 103cm – were 35 per cent more likely to die of prostate cancer than men in the bottom 25 per cent – less than 90cm.

Those in the top 25 per cent for waist-to-hip ratio –another key measurement – were 34 p er cent more likely to die than men in the bottom 25 per cent.