Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-skin cancer in men. Most PCa is found when it is low- to intermediate-risk disease, and treatment is usually successful. However, when PCa is aggressive, it is a higher risk disease with less chance of treatment success. New research shows that cardiometabolic disease is linked with aggressive PCa.

What does cardiometabolic mean?

The word cardiometabolic may be unfamiliar. Let’s break it down into simpler terms.

• Cardio – This refers to the heart. If you do a steady aerobic workout for, say, 30 minutes, your heart pumps faster. This is called cardio exercise.
• Metabolic – This is a less common word referring to your body’s metabolism. The Cleveland Clinic explains, “Metabolism is how your body turns food and drink into energy to keep you alive and functioning. It’s made up of all the chemical processes happening in your body’s cells every second. … It’s what keeps your body running smoothly.”

What is cardiometabolic health?

Your heart health and your metabolic health are interconnected. When your heart beats harder and faster through aerobic exercise, your muscles demand more calories to burn for energy, so it raises your metabolic rate. Regular cardio exercise is also a long-term investment in metabolic health, as your body becomes better at burning fat and processing glucose (sugar) more evenly.

In turn, a healthy metabolism encourages long life for your heart. When your body uses fuel efficiently, it supports all organ systems including your heart. With more energy, you’re more likely to commit to regular exercise with its benefits. You have cardiometabolic wellness.

What is cardiometabolic disease?

Just as heart and metabolism collaborate for total wellness, they can also mutually pull each other down. The combination is called cardiometabolic disease. Lack of exercise (and poor eating habits) can lead to obesity; excess belly fat acts to create a condition called insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for developing diabetes.

In turn, diabetes damages blood vessels, and the heart muscle itself as it can’t relax properly. Cardiometabolic disease is a double whammy that launches a downward spiral. The strain on the heart and the compromised metabolism mean less energy, which means less inclination to exercise, which often feeds into depression and eating “comfort foods” high in fats and sugars.

This process puts a person at risk for three specific cardiometabolic diseases: obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes. When these diseases are constant and long term, it means higher risk for heart failure, stroke, and compromised circulation that can lead to erectile dysfunction, blindness, kidney failure, and other severe consequences.

Is cardiometabolic disease linked with aggressive prostate cancer?

On top of the above problems, most men don’t know that cardiometabolic disease is connected with aggressive, high-risk PCa that is difficult to cure. A 2025 paper by Amirmokri, et al. reported their analysis of data from 25 published studies on this topic.^[i] It may well be “the first comprehensive quantitative synthesis indicating a potential positive association between pre-existing cardiometabolic diseases and the future development of aggressive PCa.” 

The authors found a significant correlation between dangerous prostate cancer and the three diseases listed above. There are many reasons why cardiometabolic disease influences the development of PCa. The authors note, “Several cardiometabolic diseases may contribute to aggressive prostate cancer through overlapping biological mechanisms including chronic inflammation, immune cell activation, hormonal imbalances, and metabolic dysregulation.”

Since cancer results from abnormal cell mutations, when the body is constantly struggling against widespread imbalance, cancer cells are opportunistic. They take advantage of a compromised immune system and hormonal dysregulation generated by fat cells.

Are men with cardiometabolic disease doomed to have high risk PCa?

While the situation seems bleak, it is not a doom-and-gloom scenario. The authors point out that cardiometabolic diseases are preventable, controllable and treatable. This is a reason for optimism because it “… can allow oncologists to work alongside primary care physicians to improve patient outcomes and reduce the incidence of aggressive disease. Through the promotion of lifestyle modifications, tighter cardiometabolic control, and targeted interventions, public health efforts might improve prostate cancer outcomes.”

The Sperling Prostate Center values the whole person, not just his prostate. Our blogs regularly promote information on nutrition, exercise, other lifestyle practices shown to lower PCa risk, and to help prevent recurrence after treatment. For more information, check out our blogs.

 
NOTE: This content is solely for purposes of information and does not substitute for diagnostic or medical advice. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing pelvic pain, or have any other health concerns or questions of a personal medical nature.

References

[i] Amirmokri AJ, Loffredo CA, Makambi KH, Dawson NA. Assessing the relationship between cardiometabolic diseases and the risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cancer. 2025 Oct 25;25(1):1645.