Cold Weather in Northern Climates Linked to Prostate Cancer

Published November 20, 2014

A colder, cloudy climate could increase the risk of prostate cancer for men in northern regions of the globe, according to a study from Idaho State University.

Dr. Sophie St-Hilaire and her colleges found that the combination of the lack of sun and cold temperatures are what explain the higher rates of prostate cancer in the northern part of the world.

Low exposure to the sun can lead to vitamin D deficiency in men, which contributes to their prostate cancer risk.

The study, published in the International Journal of Health Geographics, showed that cold temperatures play a role by slowing the breakdown of industrial pollutants in the in environment that could trigger cancer. In addition, the frigid air is believed to pull chemicals from the atmosphere to the earth.

"We found that colder weather, and low rainfall, were strongly correlated with prostate cancer," the Daily Express quoted St-Hilaire as saying.

Click here to read more from Idaho State University.

Click here to read more from The Daily Express.

URL

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