Weight management improves biomarkers in men with prostate cancer

A weight management intervention results in better body composition, quality of life, and prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers in men scheduled for prostatectomy, reports a study.

Forty men were randomly assigned into intervention (n=20) or control (n=20) arms. Participants in the intervention arm followed a weight management program for 4 to 16 weeks before and 6 months after surgery. Control participants, on the other hand, received standardized educational materials. All men attended visits at baseline, 1 week prior to surgery, and 6 months postsurgery.

The researchers examined the circulating immune cells, cytokines, and chemokines. They also assessed weight loss, body composition/distribution, quality of life, and nutrition literacy among participants. Finally, they analysed prostate tissue samples obtained from biopsy and surgery.

Men in the intervention group achieved 5.5-percent weight loss (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 4‒7) from baseline to surgery (mean 5 weeks). They also had decreased insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin, leptin:adiponectin ratio, and visceral adipose tissue relative to those in the control group.

Additionally, the intervention arm showed lower c-peptide, plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-1, and T cell count from baseline to surgery. No significant between-group difference was seen in myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Anthropometrics in the intervention arm also improved, including visceral and overall fat loss. Prostate tissue markers, however, did not change significantly. Moreover, the intervention improved quality-of-life measures of general and emotional health.

Notably, participants in the intervention group either maintained or kept losing to a net loss of 11-percent initial body weight (95 percent CI, 8‒14) at the end of the study.