Obesity was confirmed as a tumor promoter by researchers at University of California, San Diego in January 2010. The results of their findings were published in the January 22nd issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.
Though heart ailments and type 2 diabetes top the list of obesity complications, as many as 90,000 lives per year in the United States can be saved if researchers can focus more on the elevated cancer risk owing to obesity.
50 Research Facts About the Obesity-Cancer Nexus:
1. It is estimated that obese people are prone to 33 types of cancer, with breast, uterus, kidneys, colon and esophagus being the most affected organs.
2. Obese people are 1.5 times more at risk of developing cancer overall according to epidemiological studies.
3. The risk of obese people developing liver cancer is 4.5-fold greater.
4. In the United States, 20 percent of deaths in women caused by cancer and 14 percent of deaths from this ailment in men are due to overweight and obesity.
5. Two inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF are found to be the source of obesity’s tumor-promoting effect.
6. Carbohydrates is a common contributor of obesity and a diet high in this nutrient was found to increase esophageal cancer rates in February 2008.
7. According to a research study done at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Match 2010, obesity was linked to poor prognosis of colon cancer.
8. Obesity increases the insulin levels in the body, which in turn raises the risk of developing breast cancer in women by nearly a 1.5-folds when compared to women with the lowest insulin levels, according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York (December 2008).
9. If women above the age of 50 years can maintain a BMI under 25 during their adult lives, an estimated 11,000 to 18,000 deaths per year from breast cancer in U.S. can then be avoided.
10. Obese men are more at risk of developing colon cancer when compared to their female counterparts.
11. Overweight people are at 36 percent increased risk of developing kidney cancer.
12. Overweight and obese people are two times more likely of developing esophagus cancer according to the National Cancer Institute.
13. There was no association found between prostate cancer and obesity in more than 35 studies carried out on the nexus.
14. Obese women are two to four times at greater risk of developing the disease when compared to women maintaining healthy weight, regardless of menopausal status.
15. A meta-analysis on pancreatic cancer and obesity nexus found that obese people are at 19 percent higher risk of getting this cancer than those with a healthy BMI. However, there is a lack of conclusive evidence on this subject.
16. Abdominal fat in men and waist-hip ratio in women are two major risk factors for colon cancer.
17. Postmenopausal obese women who do not use menopausal hormones are at increased risk of breast cancer.
18. Though gallbladder stones especially in obese women are considered to be a major risk factor for cancer, there are very few evidences to support to claim.
19. Obesity status raises the risk of kidney cancer to 84 percent when compared to healthy people.
20. Though the underlying mechanism between obesity and kidney cancer nexus is not understood yet, people with excess weight are at two-four times higher risk of developing this cancer.
21. An estimated 3.2 percent of all new cancers diagnosed in the United States every year are linked to obesity.
22. According to a research study presented at the 2010 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, reducing the intake of Omega-6 fatty acids and calories can prevent 1 out of every 3 cancer related deaths in humans and dogs.
23. Leptin is an important signalling molecule associated with the intake and expenditure of energy in the body. It is found to promote the growh of cancer cells.
24. A research study at the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, found this hormone to be a new target for breast cancer.
25. According to researchers at the Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, obesity speeds up the progress of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in children. This research fact was published in Cancer Prevention Research journal, on October 5, 2010.
26. CNN health published an article on November 5, 2009 which stated that more than 100,000 cases of cancer each year are caused by obesity.
27. In the same report, it was mentioned that the American Institute for Cancer Research experts found 9 percent of colorectal cancer cases and 17 percent of breast cancer cases related to obesity.
28. 21 percent of gallbladder cancer cases, 24 percent of kidney cancer cases and 28 percent of pancreatic cancer cases were linked to obesity.
29. 49 percent of endometrial cancers followed by 35 percent of esophageal cancer cases are caused by obesity.
30. Obesity is not only associated with the cause of the disease but also makes prognosis and treatment difficult.
31. When fat levels rise in the body, it is followed by increased levels of oxidative stress and swelling components in the blood. They cause changes in the DNA structures probably leading to cancer.
32. Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom in February 2010 found that deficiency of testosterone affects the quality of life of the male cancer survivors and the relation between obesity and low testosterone levels is well known.
33. Excess production of oestrogen hormone is responsible for causing breast and ovarian cancers, the two most deadly forms of this ailment affecting obese women.
34. Obese breast cancer women have poor survival rate when compared to their leaner counterparts.
35. Women diagnosed with breast cancer should exercise in order to the reduce the pain and fatigue associated with the condition. It was found by researchers at the Ohio State University in May 2007 and the result was published in Springer’s Journal of Cancer Survivorship.
36. Side effects of Stereotactic body radiation therapy in Lung cancer patients is increased significantly by obesity. This fact was presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in November 2009.
37. In pancreatic cancer patients, the inflammatory markers of obesity were found at higher levels in a research study carried out by researchers at the Jefferson Pancreatic, Biliary and Related Cancers Center in February 2010.
38. Surprisingly a research study carried out at the Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, found that increased BMI reduced the risk of lung cancer.
39. A study carried out by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Comprehensive Cancer Center in January 2009, found that thr isk of developing ovarian cancer was same in obese and non-obese women.
40. Even a weight loss of only 5 to 10 percent of total weight can be beneficial against cancer risk.
41. Weight loss is found to reduce the cancer risks of colon, breast (postmenopausal), endometrium, kidney, and esophagus, with no substantial evidence for all other cancers.
42. The exact mechanism explaining the nexus between cancer and obesity physical disorder depends on the type of the cancer ailment.
43. The Four Corners Breast and Endometrial Cancer Study funded by the National Cancer Institute is trying to understand how obesity and weight changes are related to the rise in breast and endometrial cancer among Hispanic, non-Hispanic white and Native American women.
44. Postmenopausal women by walking about 30 minutes per day can reduce the risk of breast cancer by 20 percent.
45. The protective effect of physical activity against breast cancer is not found in obese and overweight women.
46. Insulin and sex hormones are believed to be major risk factors for causing cancer in obese people.
47. Intentional weight loss of 20 pounds or more can reduce the risk of cancer, but when weight is reduced by unintentional means the risk remains unchanged.
48. Obesity is responsible for causing 40 percent of endometrial or uterus cancer though there is no explanation for the possible nexus.
49. Regular physical exercise can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 20 percent according to a major research study carried out in 2002.
50. There is limited evidence for whether risk of thyroid cancers can be reduced by weight loss.