Researchers from the University of Hawaii have recently reported that men who add extra pounds as young adults are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Other cancers that could stem from obesity include colorectal cancer and breast cancer in post-menopausal women. Researchers were not sure if obesity also has a role in leading to prostate cancer.

Study author Brenda Y. Hernandez, an assistant professor at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii said, "Body mass in both younger and older adulthood, and weight gain between these periods of life, may influence prostate cancer risk."

The study was done on a multi-ethnic group including blacks, Japanese, Native Hawaiians, Hispanics and whites, all of whom were the part of this long-term study called the Multiethnic Cohort.

The data was collected from 84,000 men who were a part of this study. More than 5,500 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer. The age when men put on weight seemed to be related as did race and ethnicity.

It was found that higher weight in older men was associated with increased risk of prostate cancer among white and Native Hawaiian men and a lower risk of prostate cancer among Japanese men.

White men are at a much higher risk of an advanced and high-grade prostate cancer after excessive weight gain in young adulthood. A more localized and low grade from of the disease with less hazardous risk factors are in store for black men with excessive weight gain as a young adult.

Genes and lifestyle differences may account for the differences in risks and the study does not have a definitive conclusion whether weight gain is important in prostate cancer.