WASHINGTON, D.C.—Although obesity has been linked with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in aging men, modest weight loss may not prevent onset or progression of LUTS in this population, new findings suggest.
The discovery was made by Jennifer St. Sauver, PhD, and colleagues at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who analyzed data from 1,674 white men participating in the Natural History of Prostatism: the Olmsted County Study (OCS) and 168 black men participating in the Flint Men’s Health Study.
The researchers classified subjects into three categories based on their change in weight between baseline and four years of follow-up: no weight loss, loss of some weight (less than 5% of baseline), and loss of more than 5% of baseline weight. Additionally, they found no associations between weight gain and development or progression of LUTS.
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Among the white and black men, subjects in all weight categories experienced no significant change in LUTS, Dr. St. Sauver’s group reported at the American Urological Association annual meeting. In addition, the rate at which AUA Symptom Index (AUASI) scores changed did not vary by categories of weight loss.
In the OCS cohort, weight loss was not associated with receipt of treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia or LUTS or with the risk of developing moderate to severe AUASI score (above 7), the researchers noted.
“Clinically, our results suggest that while weight loss can be very beneficial for preventing a number of diseases (such as diabetes), modest weight loss may not prevent development of LUTS,” Dr. St. Sauver said. “Conversely, however, modest weight gain may not be a significant cause of LUTS.
