Today is Weight Wednesday. I went to the gym and used free weights and weight machines for 20 minutes (rows, pull downs, and hip abductors and adductors) then I used the arc trainer for an hour.

Today’s question is related to the cold weather. Is there a connection between prostate cancer and the cold weather?

Cold, dry weather has been linked to an increased incidence of prostate cancer and researchers believe that the way in which weather patterns interact with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) may be the underlying factor.

A researcher at Idaho State University worked with colleagues to study the correlation between various weather parameters and the incidence of prostate cancer at county-level across the United States.

They found that colder weather, and low rainfall, were strongly correlated with prostate cancer. Although they can’t say exactly why this correlation exists, the trends are consistent with what they would expect given the effects of climate on the deposition, absorption, and degradation of persistent organic pollutants including pesticides.

Statistics have long indicated that incidences of prostate cancer are higher in the north than the south. It is known that some persistent organic pollutants cause cancer and researchers believe that cold weather slows their degradation, while also causing them to precipitate towards the ground.

The study builds on the existing supposition that individuals at northern latitudes may be deficient in Vitamin D due to low exposure to UV radiation during the winter months. The study suggests that in addition to vitamin D deficiency… other meteorological conditions may also significantly affect the incidence of prostate cancer.