Sweden: A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity has stated that men who gain over 2 st (12.7kg) before the age of 30 are 27 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer in old age than those who maintain their teenage weight.

The study examined the data of more than 250,000 Swedish men over several decades and found a strong link between men gaining weight and developing prostate cancer. Those who gained at least 0.5kg (1.1 lbs) per year from the age of 17 to 60 were found to have a 10 percent greater risk of aggressive prostate cancer and a 29 percent greater risk of fatal prostate cancer.

The risks increase if weight gain is more steep, with a 13 percent increase in the risk of aggressive prostate cancer and a 27 percent increase in the risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who gain 13kg (28 lbs) between the ages of 17 and 29. The Obesity and Disease Development in Sweden study from 1963–2014 provided the data for the research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed.

Dr. Marisa da Silva, of the department of translational medicine at Lund University, commented that “knowing more about the factors that cause prostate cancer is key to preventing it.

“We do not know if it is the weight gain itself or the long duration of being heavier that is the main driver of the association that we see. Nevertheless, one must gain weight to become heavier, so preventing a steep increase in weight in young men is imperative for the prevention of prostate cancer,” Ms. Silva added.

Of the 258,477 Swedish men who took part in the study, 23,348 were diagnosed with prostate cancer, with an average age at diagnosis of 70 years and 4,790 men dying from the disease.

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