Cold, dry weather correlates with increased incidence of prostate cancer, study claims

With winter coming on, this would seem to be a topic worth knowing about.

I was not aware of this.

This article, "Cold weather and prostate cancer: what’s the connection?"

https://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20100321010023data_trunc_sys.shtml

maintains that

"Cold, dry weather has been linked to an increased incidence of prostate cancer and researchers believe that the way in which weather patterns interact with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may be the underlying factor."

"(... researchers) worked with colleagues to study the correlation between various weather parameters and the incidence of prostate cancer at county-level across the United States ... (their) findings appear in the International Journal of Health Geographics."

"We found that colder weather, and low rainfall, were strongly correlated with prostate cancer. Although we can’t say exactly why this correlation exists, the trends are consistent with what we would expect given the effects of climate on the deposition, absorption, and degradation of persistent organic pollutants including pesticides.”

"Statistics have long indicated that incidences of prostate cancer are higher in the north than the south. It is known that some persistent organic pollutants cause cancer and researchers believe that cold weather slows their degradation, while also causing them to precipitate towards the ground."

"(This) study builds on the existing supposition that individuals at northern latitudes may be deficient in Vitamin D due to low exposure to UV radiation during the winter months. Our study suggests that in addition to vitamin D deficiency other meteorological conditions may also significantly affect the incidence of prostate cancer.”

Of course the total epidemiology of PCa in any climate is going to be more than just particulates dropping down out of the sky. But it also may be that the authors of this study have identified a contributing factor in its occurrence in northern regions.

So what to do about it? Well, if we're up north, maybe when it's cold outside wearing a scarf around one's mouth and nose might be doing more than just keeping one's face warm.

It just might be helping to filter out PCa carcinogens when we breathe.

Does that explain why Louisiana, New Jersey, Maryland, and Mississippi top the by-state list? Random studies everywhere.

60Michael said...
I would think that colder weather lends itself to a higher rate of sickness which leads to more visits to the doctor. It is difficult seeing a correlation to prostate cancer.

I live in MN where cold weather is well defined and it has one of the highest life expectancy of the states. Maybe PCa is the good cancer after all? The article indirectly makes a case for global warming… Logic got lost somewhere in these studies and they just become random observations rather than helpful.