Experts have revealed nearly 70 per cent of men in the UK do not know that being overweight is a risk factor for prostate cancer.
Scientists have revealed strong evidence for a link between excess body fat and an increased risk of 11 cancers - which includes cancer of the prostate.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men, and it kills more than 11,250 men each year.
Experts at BMI Healthcare have revealed more than half - 52 per cent - of men aren’t aware a family history is also a risk factor for the cancer.
Just under half - 42 per cent don’t know that age also plays a part in the incidence, mortality, and survival rates of the cancer.
According to the new figures, an overwhelming 97 percent of men in the UK don’t know that being tall affects your risk of prostate cancer development.
Research has previously revealed greater height is positively associated with prostate cancer risk.
The figures reveal 87 per cent don’t know the impact of your ethnicity on prostate cancer risk - black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men, which experts believe is genetic.
Researchers also found 86 percent aren’t aware that taking anabolic steroids is a risk factor. Some people take the anabolic steroids to help build muscles.
Other people take them to improve how they perform at sports, such as sprinting and cycling.
The prostate is a 3cm long muscular gland located just below the bladder. It sits close to nerves and blood vessels that govern bladder function and erection so it is a delicate area of the human body.
John Beatty, Consultant Urologist at BMI Healthcare said: “Prostate cancer is a cancer of the ageing male and is the most common non-skin cancer in men over 70 but can occur at an earlier age.
“Men who have fathers, brothers or grandparents with prostate cancer may be at increased risk especially if they developed prostate cancer at a young age.
“Afro-Caribbean and black men may also have an increased risk.
A spokesman for BMI healthcare said: “The research reveals the concerning lack of knowledge around the warning signs of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer: The disease can be treated if it is caught as early as possible
“Over half of men don’t know that having difficulty emptying your bladder could indicate a tumour, 43 percent of men don’t realise that blood in the urine or semen could be a symptom, and 43 percent of men also aren’t aware that having to pass urine more frequently could be a sign.
“Having the sudden urge to have to empty your bladder is not known to be a symptom of prostate cancer by 67 per cent of men, and similarly over half - 52 percent - wouldn’t think having to get up in the night more frequently than normal to empty their bladder was anything to worry about."
The 2017 study assessed 818 men in the UK, highlighting the degree of awareness of prostate cancer symptoms.
The campaign is in line with the global health awareness event, Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
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