Childhood body mass index and the risk of prostate cancer in adult men

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer aetiology is poorly understood. It may have origins early in life; previously we found a positive association with childhood height. The effects of early life body mass index (BMI; kg m(−2)) on prostate cancer remain equivocal. We investigated if childhood BMI, independently and adjusted for height, is positively associated with adult prostate cancer. METHODS: Subjects were a cohort of 125 208 boys formed from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, born 1930–1969 with height and weight measurements at 7–13 years. Cases were identified through linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry. Cox proportional hazards regressions were performed. RESULTS: Overall, 3355 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Body mass index during childhood was positively associated with adult prostate cancer. The hazard ratio of prostate cancer was 1.06 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.10) per BMI z-score at age 7, and 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01–1.10) per BMI z-score at age 13. Estimates were similar and significant at all other ages. However, adjustment for childhood height attenuated the associations at all but the youngest ages as most estimates became nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that at most childhood ages, BMI does not confer an additional risk for prostate cancer beyond that of height.