Circumcision and the Prostate: Is There a Link?

Circumcision is a decision made for many different reasons including religion, culture, hygiene, and aesthetics. However, recent research has indicated a link between prostate health and circumcision.

Circumcision has long been linked to a decreased risk of developing certain STDs, including HIV/AIDS. While there has been a long debate about the benefits and risks associated with circumcision, research is now linking it with a potential decrease in risk for prostate cancer, the second-most common cancer affecting American men.

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Science Daily summarized the findings of a 2014 study conducted in Canada that included more than 1500 men with prostate cancer and more than 1600 in the control group without prostate cancer.

The researchers found that men who had been circumcised early in life had no statistically significant decrease in prostate cancer risk. However, men who were circumcised as adults over 35 years of age had a significant 45 percent decrease in their risk.

The greatest reduced risk, a 60 percent decrease, was seen for black men who were circumcised as adults.

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Questions still remain about why this link exists, said Science Daily. The lead researcher on the study, Marie-Elise Parent, Ph.D., said some sexually transmitted diseases are suspected of contributing to prostate cancer and circumcision reduces the risk of contracting these diseases.

Additionally, Parent said scientists do not know why the greatest decreases in risk were seen for circumcised black men or men circumcised as adults. She asserts that more research is needed to find out more about these relationships.

Uncircumcised men who want to minimize their risk for prostate cancer don’t necessarily need to consider the procedure if they do not wish to. Men’s Health magazine says the old advice still works: Eat a heart-healthy diet, stay fit, and maintain a healthy weight. However, men who suffer from recurrent STDs may want to consider the procedure. It is a regular outpatient procedure that may not be as painful as many men think.

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