Prostate Cancer Canada

Risk Factors

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In The News

Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at BC Legislative Assembly
VICTORIA, May 4, 2012- On Monday, May 7, Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) will host their first Legislative Assembly Day to promote education and awareness of prostate cancer in British Columbia.

Media Advisory - Prostate Cancer Canada celebrates local Halifax hero
HALIFAX, April 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Please join Prostate Cancer Canada and members of the Halifax business community as we celebrate a local hero who has made an extraordinary contribution in the fight against prostate cancer through courage, inspiration and dedication.

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Weight

Overweight and obese men may be at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. According to a major study in the April 2003 New England Journal of Medicine:

being overweight or obese increases the risk of dying from nearly all the leading types of cancer
risk increases with weight

Gaining weight early in life seems to put men with prostate cancer at greater risk because they are more likely to have more a aggressive form of the disease. Research published in the March 2007 issue of the medical journal Cancer has also found that obese men are two and a half times more likely to die of prostate cancer than men who are of average weight with the same stage of cancer and age.

Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, a joint project of The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), states that between 30 to 40 per cent of all cancer cases are preventable with reasonable and appropriate diets, physical activity and maintenance of appropriate body weight.

Regular exercise is an important part of preventing prostate cancer and slowing the disease’s growth. Thirty to 45 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity most days of the week is a general recommendation for reducing the risk of cancer.

To calculate a person’s health risks based on their weight, doctors use the Canadian body weight classification system. It takes body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference into account.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
The BMI is calculated based on height and weight. To find out your BMI, visit the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion at Health Canada.

Waist Circumference (WC)
Measuring the waist (at the biggest point of the belly) is a good way to assess abdominal fat. Excess fat around the waist and upper body is a greater health concern than fat in the hips and thighs.

In April 2007 the Canadian Medical Association Journal published new guidelines that recommend all Canadian adults have their waist circumference measured during regular check ups. A waistline of more than 94 centimeters (37 inches) for a man and 80 centimeters (32 inches) for a woman is considered a risk factor for disease (especially for heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure).

Health risks increase as the waist circumference increases so even if your BMI is in a “normal” weight range, a high waist circumference is a concern.