The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk
The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk: What is obesity?
The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk. Obesity in itself does not cause cancer but the presence of obesity subjects the individual to higher risk of cancer disease
This is not going to be the first time we are telling you something about obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person has an abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat. Take note of high and unhealthy proportion. That means that one can have high fats in the body but they are still not obese. For one to be obese the fats must be high and in unhealthy proportions. The body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used tool for measuring whether one is obese or overweight. Some little training is necessary before you can effectively understand how to calculate your position using BMI. This is just one of the many ways of establishing whether one is obese or not. However this is not our focus in this article. We want to explore on the link between obesity and cancer risk. We are by now all aware of what being obese can do to your health. Now what would be the impact if you are cancerous and at the same time obese? Keen reading and get what the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center say about this unique association.
The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk: How common is overweight or obesity?
How common being overweight or obese is today is no secret. Even though you cannot conclude whether one is obese or overweight just by looking at them, the evidence on observation from the streets in overwhelmingly pointing to the fact that overweight and obesity is on the rise. Now let us get to the available statistics, results from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicates that 68 percent of U.S. adults age 20 years and older are overweight or obese. This is in contrast with the same findings done between 1988-1994 which revealed that only 56 percent of adults age 20 and older were overweight or obese. While the in children, the findings of those who were overweight or obese also indicated an increase. In both cases there was considerable increase an indication that obesity and over weight are very common.
The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk: Facts about the relationship between obesity and cancer
Obesity is associated closely with several chronic diseases including cancer. The questions we want to answer are what family of cancer is obesity associated with? There are very many types of different cancers and each has its own way with which they are linked to the problems of overweight or obesity. The following are some of the types of cancers we want to look at and establish their relationship with this chronic disease called cancer:
- Esophagus
- Pancreas
- Colon and rectum
- Breast (after menopause)
- Endometrium (lining of the uterus)
- Kidney
- Thyroid
- Gallbladder
I want to take you through the findings of one study conducted using NCI Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. In this study, it was estimated that in 2007 about 34,000 new cases of cancer in men and 50,500 in women were due to obesity representing 4% and 7% for men and women respectively in America alone. The percentage of cases attributed to obesity varied widely for different cancer types but was as high as 40 percent for some cancers, particularly endometrial cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Using these findings to make a future projection of health and economic burden of obesity if this trend continues, then it is estimated that in the next 15 years (2030) about half million additional cases of cancer will be recorded in the United States by that time. However using the same finding, if every adult is to focus on losing 1% of their BIM which is equivalent to 1Kg of weight loss then together we will succeed in preventing the number of cancer cases. And as if that is not enough, just by this single act we will not only reduce increase but also prevent up to 100,000 new cases of cancer. How does that single act communicate to you the link between obesity and cancer risks? If you are struggling with your weight, and all the effort you’re making seems to be yielding less and you’re about to give up, I have good news for you. Talk to doctor Dalal Akoury today, in fact schedule for an appointment with her now and experience the great difference of your life time. This is the right professional you need not just to lose weight but also to prevent cancer from visiting your life and that of your family. In the meantime let us consider the following mechanisms which have been suggested to explain the association of obesity with increased risk of certain cancers:
- Fat tissue produces excess amounts of estrogen, high levels of which have been associated with the risk of breast, endometrial, and some other cancers.
- Obese people often have increased levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in their blood (a condition known as hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance), which may promote the development of certain tumors.
- Fat cells produce hormones, called adipokines that may stimulate or inhibit cell growth. For example, leptin, which is more abundant in obese people, seems to promote cell proliferation, whereas adiponectin, which is less abundant in obese people, may have anti-proliferative effects.
- Fat cells may also have direct and indirect effects on other tumor growth regulators, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and AMP-activated protein kinase.
- Obese people often have chronic low-level, or “subacute,” inflammation, which has been associated with increased cancer risk.
Other possible mechanisms include altered immune responses, effects on the nuclear factor kappa beta system, and oxidative stress.
Finally your life and that of people coming behind you cannot be compared with any amount of money in the world. If there is something you can do to be healthy then it must be done at all cost. On her part Dr. Akoury made a decision in view of the escalating links between obesity and cancer to create a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Like I had said if you have any concern relating to weight gain or cancer and even other chronic illnesses, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today for lasting solutions to all your concerns.
The link between Obesity and Cancer Risk: What is obesity?
