Warning for Prostate Cancer Patients

Ivanhoe Newswire

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By Rebekah Addy, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every 2.5 minutes, a man will be told he has prostate cancer.

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Every 17 minutes, a man will die from prostate cancer.

A new study reveals being overweight or gaining weight as an adult increases the likelihood of men dying from prostate cancer. On the other hand, the research does not reveal a connection between obesity and developing prostate cancer.

Gary Onik, M.D., a prostate cancer specialist from Florida Hospital in Celebration, Fla., believes the reason for the association with obesity and dying but not obesity and developing the disease could likely be attributed to a hormonal factor. Hormonal changes are prone to increase the aggressiveness of the cancer, he told Ivanhoe.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., studied 287,760 men between the age 50 and 71 and found those who were overweight -- having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 -- were 25-percent more likely to die of prostate cancer. Those who were mildly obese -- BMI of 30 to 34.9 -- were 46-percent more likely to die than those who were not overweight. Men who were severely obese -- BMI greater than 35 -- had a doubled risk of dying from prostate cancer.

So what can prostate cancer patients do to better their odds? Dr. Onik suggests cutting out meats and changing to more of a Mediterranean-type diet by including foods like fish and olive oil.

"If you have prostate cancer, it's not just about getting an operation or having radiation or having surgery. It's really about changing your lifestyle and losing weight, eating the proper things, and taking the proper supplements," Dr. Onik said.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

Source: Ivanhoe interview with Gary Onik, M.D., from the Florida Hospital in Celebration, Fla.; CANCER, 2007, published online Jan. 8, 2007