FRIDAY, March 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Here's more motivation for men to shed pounds if they're overweight: It could lower their risk for advanced prostate cancer.

Researchers analyzed data from 15 studies that included a total of nearly 831,000 men, including nearly 52,000 who'd been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Having a BMI (body mass index -- an estimate of body fat based on height and weight) above the range that's considered healthy (21-25) during middle to late adulthood was associated with the highest risk for advanced prostate cancer.

"These study results show that risk for advanced prostate cancer can be decreased by maintaining a 'healthy' weight, which is in line with guidelines by the American Cancer Society and World Cancer Research Fund," said study author Jeanine Genkinger, an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

"Adopting healthy eating and exercising are factors that can help maintain a healthy weight," Genkinger said in a school news release.

The researchers also found that a larger waist size was associated with an increased risk of advanced prostate cancer and death.

Previous studies have linked higher BMI with an increased risk of prostate cancer, but this is the first to connect larger waist size with increased risk of the disease, the authors said.

The study was published March 4 in the Annals of Oncology.

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in U.S. men. Fewer than 1 in 3 men with advanced prostate cancer are alive five years after diagnosis.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more on prostate cancer.