Male circumcision is carried out for many reasons, including for religious and health purposes. But new research has added to the body of evidence suggesting it has many health benefits. Being circumcised can reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer by up to 60 per cent, new research has revealed.

Dr Marie-Élise Parent and Dr Andrea Spence, both from the University of Quebec, led a team that ran a study to investigate the possible association between circumcision and prostate cancer risk. They looked at 1,590 prostate cancer patients in Montreal as well as 1,618 healthy people.

According to the report, published in the journal BJU International, showed men circumcised within one year of birth were 14 per cent less likely to get prostate cancer than average. However, men who had the procedure after the age of 35 were 45 per cent less likely to develop the disease.

The biggest protective effect was found in black men – they were 60 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer if they were circumcised. This is a particularly interesting finding, as black men have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world and this has never been explained,’ said Dr Parent.

Dr Parent noted circumcision may reduce the risk of contracting and maintaining a sexually transmitted infection, which has been considered to be a risk factor for prostate cancer.

However, it should be noted that this is just a study, and most scientists do not agree with the idea that circumcision has such advantages. Other studies  have found no link between prostate cancer and circumcision. Moreover, according to American circumcision pundit Edgar Schoen, 80% of US men are circumcised from birth. At the same time, the American Cancer Society says that 1 in 6 US men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.