Central obesity and its association with benign prostatic hyperplasia: insights from a cross-sectional study of NHANES 2001–2008

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition that affects elderly men, but its relationship with central obesity in the American population has not been adequately elucidated. In this study, we included a total of 4,625 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database spanning from 2001 to 2008. We calculated indices related to central obesity for each participant and then employed univariate logistic regression, multivariate logistic regression, restricted cubic splines (RCS), and Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) analysis. we found that the indices of Weight, Waist Circumference (WC), waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR), and Body Roundness Index (BRI) were significantly elevated in the BPH group. In terms of dietary intake, we found that the intake of total fat, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and cholesterol was significantly higher in the BPH group, with polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol meeting the criteria for both univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Weight, WC, WHtR, and BRI can effectively improve the prediction of BPH, which may be associated with the high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Appropriately adjusting the types and total amount of fat intake may prevent the occurrence of prostatic hyperplasia.