Fri, Oct-17-08, 03:22
|
|
Senior Member
Posts: 997
|
|
Plan: high fat paleo
Stats: 238/215/165
BF:yes
Progress: 32%
Location: UK
|
|
Prostate Cancer More Deadly in Men Producing High Insulin Level
Quote:
Prostate Cancer More Deadly in Men Producing High Insulin Level
By Michelle Fay Cortez
Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to die from the disease if they have been overweight and have high levels of the hormone insulin, a study found.
Researchers analyzed data gathered as part of the Physician's Health Study, which tracked more than 22,000 male doctors in the U.S. starting in 1982. Those who were overweight and had high levels of a protein that rises with insulin secretion were four times more likely to die after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, even when the tumor was detected years later, according to the report in The Lancet Oncology.
Prostate cancer is the most common tumor in men, with more than 186,000 cases diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. It kills more men than any malignancy except lung cancer. Because the cancer grows slowly, many patients ultimately die from other causes, said Jing Ma, the lead researcher from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University in Boston.
Identifying men with the greatest risk of dying from the disease can help doctors determine how aggressively to treat the condition, Ma said. Body weight and insulin levels may help make that determination.
``Roughly about 10 percent of these men will eventually die of the cancer,'' Ma said. ``The crucial question now facing urologists, oncologists and prostate cancer patients is what are the risk factors that can predict the bad cancers,'' she said in an Oct. 3 telephone interview.
Weight Risk
People are defined as overweight and obese according to measurements of the ratio of height to weight, using a scale known as the body-mass index. A 6-foot man is considered overweight at 184 pounds and obese at 221 pounds. Men who were overweight or obese before their diagnosis were significantly more likely to die from the cancer than those who were normal weight, even after the researchers took into account the severity of the cancer.
Since obesity is known to cause metabolic changes, the researchers also measured the level of a protein, C-peptide, that reflects secretion of insulin in the body. High insulin concentrations may promote tumor progression. The researchers found that men with high levels of the protein marker for insulin were more likely to die from prostate cancer, independent of their weight status.
The message from the study is one that all men should heed, Ma said. Extra pounds, in addition to contributing to heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, may contribute to the development of deadly prostate cancer, she said.
``This gives more incentive to control body weight for men in general, and specifically for men with prostate cancer.''
|
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?...s.NA&refer=home
I think there's a bit of a chicken-egg situation going on here ... what's betting they'll reccomend a low fat diet?
|