Adiponectin and Prostate Cancer Mortality: To Be or Not to Be Skinny?

Obesity is one of the biggest public health crises of our day. In theUnited States, 1 in 3 adultmen is obese. This rate is staggeringly high compared with obesity rates in other countries—notably those in Asia, where obesity rates are 5%. Obesity is well known to increase the risk for numerous medical problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, and has been linked with the incidence of and the mortality from multiple cancers. In terms of prostate cancer, the relationship with obesity is complex (1). In the 20 000-foot view, obesity appears to be associatedwith a slightly decreased risk in the incidence of prostate cancer, but it is also associated with a clear and consistent, albeit modest, increased risk of prostate cancer mortality. Multiple molecula