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Obesity
and prostate cancer risk
For
all those men who have been postponing their visit to a gym or
an exercise regime, it is time to get rid of the excess weight
if you do not want to suffer from prostate cancer. This form of
cancer develops in the prostate gland of the male reproductive
system. It can either be slow or aggressive depending on many
factors, one of them being overweight.
Studies have shown that obesity can lead to aggressive prostate
cancer in men. When you weigh above the ideal weight, there is
a hormonal imbalance in your body. This is said to be an important
cause. Steroid hormones and inflammation in the parts leads to
increased levels of estrogen, which helps in the growth of cancerous
cells. The disease is more common in men who have crossed 40 years
of age and the risk factor increases thereafter. It has been found
that eating high amounts of meat, saturated fats, etc. after a
certain age can increase the chances of prostate cancer.
Though there have been many experiments conducted, it has not
been proven how obesity contributes to prostate cancer. Since
most of us live a sedentary life, we accumulate loads of fat in
our bodies over the years which lead to hormonal changes. This
fat affects the sex steroids and changes the testosterone into
estrogen. Someone who has lower levels of testosterone is at a
higher risk of developing this cancer.
Another theory has to do with insulin like growth factor 1 (IG-1).
Men who are overweight have higher amounts of IG-1 in the bloodstream.
It has been realized in studies that this presence elevates the
growth of cancerous cells. Once the cancer is diagnosed, doctors
have concluded that surgery on obese men is difficult when compared
to men who are at an ideal weight. This is because some amount
of the cancerous cells is left behind in the body due to bad visualization
and this may resurface later.
There is no preventive medicine to prostate cancer other than
losing excess weight. It is a fact that over 40% of the people
across the world face the challenges of obesity and it has been
found to be more in developed countries. Therefore, we should
always resort to a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious food
and working out regularly. Do not let prostate cancer affect your
life; follow some simple rules of exercise and diet.
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