Grim weather up in North linked to prostate cancer risk

London, April 21 (ANI): A new research by scientists at Idaho State University has suggested that grim weather up in North may be making men more prone to prostate cancer.

Dr Sophie St-Hilaire, from Idaho State University, and colleagues believe that a combination of cold temperatures and lack of sun could help explain higher rates of the disease in northerly parts of the world.

It has been claimed that poor exposure to the sun's rays can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which may increase prostate cancer risk.

Meanwhile, cold weather might help to slow the degradation of cancer-triggering industrial pollutants, say US researchers.

Cold temperatures were also believed to help the chemicals precipitate out of the atmosphere and fall to the ground.

"We found that colder weather, and low rainfall, were strongly correlated with prostate cancer," the Daily Express quoted St-Hilaire as saying.

"Although we can't say exactly why this correlation exists, the trends are consistent with what we would expect given the effects of climate on the deposition, absorption, and degradation of persistent organic pollutants including pesticides," St-Hilaire added.

The research has been published online in the International Journal of Health Geographics. (ANI)