Boston (eCanadaNow) - According to a new study, obese men have more blood, which dilutes the levels of the protein called PSA -- a key indicator of prostate trouble.
The study consisted of approximately 14,000 men with prostate cancer and who underwent removal of their prostates between 1988 and 2006.
The researchers found that men who were fatter had larger blood volumes, which the study authors said supports their theory that dilution caused theirPSA levels to lower.
"Obese men have more blood circulating throughout their bodies than normal weight men, and as a result, the concentration of prostate-specific antigen, orPSA, in the blood -- the gold standard for detecting prostate cancer -- can become diluted," said Stephen Freedland , M.D., a Duke urologist and senior researcher on a study appearing in the November 21, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"We've known for a while that obese men tend to have lower PSA scores than normal weight men, but our study really proposes a reason why this happens, and points to the need for an adjustment in the way we interpretPSA scores that will take body weight into account. If not, we may be missing a large number of cancers each year, " said Freedland.
The Prostate Cancer Foundation say that one and six will develop prostate caner, usually over the age of 65.
The findings are published in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
