British rocker Sir Rod Stewart, 74, went public with the news that he'd been diagnosed with prostate cancer in September. The "Maggie May" singer has since shared that he’s cancer-free, but in a new interview with the Daily Mail, he said that one of the drugs he’s taken to keep his cancer in check has caused him to pack on the pounds.
“As part of the treatment, you’re given a female hormone, which makes all the fat go to your tummy,” Stewart told the Daily Mail. “Apart from that, I’m in full working order.”
Read MoreRELATED: "Finger Up the Bum, No Harm Done," Says Rocker Rod Stewart, As He Reveals Successful Prostate Cancer Treatment and Urges Men to Get Tested
Does Hormone Therapy Make You Gain Weight?
There are a number of different types of hormone therapies used to treat prostate cancer, and although Stewart did not share the specific type he received, most of these drugs work by reducing the levels of male hormones — including testosterone — that can stimulate the growth of prostate cells (including cancerous ones). RELATED: Tears for Sir Rod Stewart's Wife as She Reflects on Her Rock Star Husband's Prostate Cancer "The Positive News Is, We Caught It Early Enough""If we take away testosterone, we can shrink down the tumor and hold it in check for often years and years and years,” Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet.
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Some drugs, called “androgen deprivation therapy” drugs, work by blocking the production of androgens (from the testicles) or by blocking those hormones from circulating throughout the body as they normally would. Treating men using the female hormone, estrogen, can also effectively block androgens, but according to the National Cancer Institute, estrogens “are seldom used today in the treatment of prostate cancer because of their side effects.”
Again, it is not known what specific type of hormone therapy Stewart received, but experts have told SurvivorNet that hormone therapy for prostate cancer can indeed have a number of possible side effects — one of which is weight gain.
Because the male body was meant to have testosterone, Dr. Freedland explained, there are some side effects to depriving the body of that hormone.
“It can cause metabolic side effects,” Dr. Freedland said in a conversation about androgen deprivation therapy. “What you see is the muscles shrink down, the fat goes up … and men tend to gain weight, particularly around the waist.”
But side effects vary from person to person and cancer to cancer.
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Exercise Can Help
It’s also worth noting that weight gain is a side effect that can be mitigated in part by lifestyle factors like exercise.
RELATED: Are the Side Effects of Androgen Deprivation Therapy Worth the Risk?
In the same interview that Stewart shared that his hormone therapy had made him gain weight, he also shared that he’d been working with a personal trainer and that his excess abdomen weight was going away.
RELATED: Preserving Sexual Function Post- Prostate Cancer Treatment Depends on Several Factors
The importance of exercising during hormone therapy for prostate cancer cannot be overstated. “I really counsel men about sugar in their diet, making sure they’re getting exercise [and] seeing a cardiologist, Dr. Freedland told SurvivorNet, adding that it’s important to work with your doctor to determine whether hormone therapy is really right for you. “I think the most important thing is really to ask is, ‘Is this the right therapy?'”
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