Metabolic syndrome and risk of cancer mortality in men

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been linked with an increased risk of developing cancer; however, the association between MetS and cancer mortality remains less clear. Little research has focused on pre-cancer risk factors that may affect the outcome of treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between MetS and all-cancer mortality in men. Methods: The participants included 33,230 men aged 20-88 years who were enrolled in the Aerobics Centre Longitudinal Study and who were free of known cancer at the baseline. Results: At baseline 28% of all the participants had MetS. During an average of 14 years follow-up, there were a total of 685 deaths due to cancer. MetS at baseline was associated with a 56% greater age-adjusted risk in cancer mortality. Conclusion: These data show that MetS is associated with an increased risk of all-cause cancer mortality in men. Based on these findings, it is evident that successful interventions should be identified to attenuate the negative effects of MetS.