‘Spare tyre’ increases risk of death from prostate cancer

MEN with a “spare tyre” of excess fat around the waist are at greater risk of dying from prostate cancer, researchers have found for the first time.

The study by Oxford University found that for men who are overweight, every extra four inches of waist circumference increased the chance of dying of prostate cancer by 7 per cent.

The research found that cutting the average male body mass index (BMI) by five points – about two and a half 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 properly identified, with previous studies too small to draw firm conclusions.

The research – the biggest of its kind – involving 2.5million men, shows 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 the UK will have the worst obesity levels in Europe within a decade.

The new research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, found that for such men, every additional 3.9in around the waist increased the odds of dying from prostate cancer by 7 per cent.

Scientists said a typical man should keep his waistline under 36 inches, to reduce their risk. Each five-point increase in body mass index was found to increase the risk by 10 per cent.

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

But researchers said 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.”

The study, published in BMC Medicine, funded by Cancer Research UK, follows new NHS advice to keep your waistline to less than half of your height to stay in good health.

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 PSA tests which can indicate an increased risk are not always reliable.