Is Increased Adiposity Causally Protective for Prostate Cancer?
Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2020
According to a recent analysis conducted by Alexandra Blakemore, PhD, of Brunel University London, and colleagues, increased adiposity may be protective for prostate cancer. The results were presented during the virtual edition of the 2020 American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting (Abstract 2359). Of note, the results also indicated that increased adiposity might be protective for breast cancer.
“Public health campaigns…portray weight loss as an effective cancer prevention strategy,” commented initial study author Hasnat Amin, BSc, also of Brunel University London, in an ASHG press release. “However, our findings contradict this idea. There may even be certain risks in advising fat loss if, for example, fat cells are involved in the absorption of carcinogenic substances.”
The investigators assessed the causal effect of several adiposity measures on prostate cancer risk in the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort study with more than 500,000 participants, using one-sample Mendelian randomization. Data from the PRACTICAL consortium (79,194 prostate cancer cases and 61,112 controls) were used to replicate findings by two-sample Mendelian randomization.
Based on the results of one-sample Mendelian randomization, an increased waist circumference (odds ratio = 0.602), body fat percentage (odds ratio = 0.629), and body mass index (odds ratio = 0.695) seemed to decrease the risk of prostate cancer. The results of two-sample Mendelian randomization also suggested that an increased body mass index seemed to decrease the risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio = 0.815).
The investigators noted that the protective effect of adiposity on prostate cancer risk appears to be enhanced in those who are frequently exposed to potentially hazardous substances at work; based on the results of one-sample Mendelian randomization, the causal effect of waist circumference on prostate risk was estimated to be 0.186 in the frequently exposed group and 0.751 in the infrequently exposed group.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
