Obesity Increases the likelihood of many common cancers-consumer health news

Monday, May 10, 2021 (HealthDay News)-Obesity or overweight can increase your chances of developing several types of cancer, a new study in the United Kingdom reveals.

However, researchers say that losing excess weight can reduce the risk.

Studies show that reducing obesity reduces the risk of endometrial cancer by 44%, the risk of uterine cancer by 39%, and prevents kidney cancer by 18% and stomach and liver cancer by 17%. can also do.

“It all depends on losing weight,” said Carlos Celis Morales, a senior researcher at the BHF Institute for Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He said many people lose weight just to regain weight-and some.

“What we need is a kind of long-term healthy weight and the people who achieve it reduce the risk,” said Celis Morales. “That’s why it’s so important for people to improve their lifestyle in order to maintain a healthy weight.”

However, he cannot prove that overweight causes cancer or that weight loss can prevent cancer, and there seems to be a strong link between overweight and cancer risk. I warned that.

For this study, Celis-Morales and his colleagues used data from UK Biobank on more than 400,000 cancer-free men and women.

Researchers know the risk of developing and dying from 24 cancers based on six obesity markers: body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, waist and hip circumference, and body mass index (BMI) I wanted to. , Estimating body fat based on height and weight.

The study found that obesity, no matter how it was measured, increased the chances of developing 10 of the most common cancers. Larger hips and hips, BMI or body fat percentage all provided a similar cancer risk.

BMI is a good way to measure weight-related cancer risk, says Celis Morales, and there are benefits to looking at more complex and costly measurements such as waist size and body fat percentage. Said not.

For example, a BMI score of 24.9 is considered normal, with every addition of about 4 for men over the age of 25 and 5 for women, the overall risk of cancer is increased by 3%.

It also increases the risk of cancer of the stomach (35%), gallbladder (33%), liver (27%), kidneys (26%), pancreas (12%), colon (10%), and bladder (9%). did. ).

That same amount of overweight was also associated with sharply high odds of two cancers affecting women-73% of endometrial cancers and 68% of uterine cancers. It was also associated with an 8% increase in postmenopausal breast cancer.

Lauren Terrace, director of science for epidemiological studies at the American Cancer Society, reviewed the findings.

“Several ways obesity is thought to affect cancer include levels of sex hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, insulin-related growth factors, and proteins released from adipose tissue such as leptin and adiponectin. It includes a rise, “she said.

Despite strong evidence that overweight increases the risk of many cancers, little is known about whether losing weight can get it back.

“This is probably because it’s relatively rare to lose weight in adulthood and it’s difficult to study,” she said. “But some studies of patients undergoing major weight loss surgery have found that some types of cancer are at low risk.”

Maintaining a normal weight, eating a balanced diet, and being physically active are beneficial to many aspects of health, Terrace said.

“My advice is to find a plan that suits you and keep it going until it becomes a habit,” she suggested. “Do what you find fun to increase your physical activity. Eat a diet customized to your tastes, but include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Please limit the size of the part. “

Then find an accountability partner to get you on track. “With support, we all have a better chance of success,” said Terrace.

The findings were published in the journal on May 9th. BMC medicine..

For more information

For more information on cancer and weight American Cancer Society..

Source: Carlos Celis-Morales, PhD, Researcher, BHF Institute for Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Lauren Terrace, Director of Science, Epidemiological Studies, American Cancer Society; BMC medicineMay 9, 2021