People
0

Risk of 8 More Cancers Linked to Obesity

The World Health Organization says worldwide obesity has more than  doubled since 1980, affecting more than 600 million adults in 2014.
The World Health Organization says worldwide obesity has more than  doubled since 1980, affecting more than 600 million adults in 2014.

A new study strengthens the link between obesity and cancer, after identifying a further eight cancers that are more likely to develop with excess weight including stomach, pancreas, and liver cancers.

Dr. Graham Colditz, of the Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues published their findings in The New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980, affecting more than 600 million adults in 2014.

As a result, these individuals are at increased risk of other health conditions, including some forms of cancer.

In previous research, Colditz and team identified a link between excess weight and increased risk of colon, esophageal, kidney, breast, and uterine cancers. Now, the researchers have added another eight to the list, medicalnews.com reported.

The team’s findings come from an in-depth review of more than 1,000 studies conducted by the WHO’s International Agency for Cancer on Research (IARC), which assessed the link between weight and cancer risk.

Researchers found sufficient evidence to suggest that excess weight can increase the risk of eight cancers, in addition to the five already identified. These include cancers of the stomach, gall bladder, liver, meningioma - a form of brain tumor, multiple myeloma - a type of blood cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic and thyroid cancer.

For the majority of these cancers, researchers found that the higher an individual’s body mass index (BMI), the higher their cancer risk.

The findings, says Colditz, show that overweight and obesity is a higher burden for cancer risk than previously thought.

   Healthy Lifestyle Important

“Many of the newly identified cancers linked to excess weight haven’t been on people’s radar screens as having a weight component,” he adds.

What is more, the results highlight the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle.

“Significant numbers of the US and the world’s population are overweight. This is another wake-up call. It’s time to take our health and our diets seriously.”

“Lifestyle factors such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising, in addition to not smoking, can have a significant impact on reducing cancer risk. Public health efforts to combat cancer should focus on these things that people have some control over.”

He admits that, for many people, losing weight is challenging, but these individuals should not be disheartened.

“Rather than getting discouraged and giving up, those struggling to take off weight could instead focus on avoiding more weight gain,” he adds.

Researchers also noted that excess body fat can cause overproduction of the hormones estrogen, testosterone, and insulin, which can trigger inflammation and fuel cancer growth.

 

Financialtribune.com