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Excess body weight and obesity may play a role in a significant
number of cancer deaths, according to a report from the American
Cancer Society.
Results from the study, which involved close to 1 million people,
indicated that 14 percent of cancer deaths in men and 20 percent
of cancer deaths in women might be due to being overweight or obese.
Further, if Americans maintained healthy weights, more than 90,000
cancer deaths could be avoided each year, according to researchers.
Researchers followed more than 900,000 U.S. adults who were cancer-free
in 1982 for a period of 16 years. Body weight was measured using
body mass index (BMI) and deaths from cancer were noted.
Those who were overweight or obese had a higher risk of death from
various cancers, including esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder,
pancreas, kidney, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma,
as compared to people of normal weight.
The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of cancer, researchers
reported. Among the heaviest participants, the risk of death from
cancer was 52 percent higher in men and 62 percent higher in women
compared to people of normal weight.
The heaviest men were more likely to die from stomach or prostate
cancer, while cancer of the breast, uterus, cervix or ovary was
most likely to cause death among the heaviest women.
Researchers were uncertain exactly why obesity might increase risk
of death from cancer but suggest that the higher levels of hormones
common in people with higher BMIs may predispose them to cancer.
Additionally, excess weight in the abdomen may disrupt the metabolism
of insulin, which can increase the risk of cancer, and people with
obesity may be more likely to develop gallstones and reflux disease,
which can lead to chronic inflammation and certain cancers.
Researchers note that, for people who are overweight or obese,
losing any amount of weight could be useful in reducing risk of
death from cancer.
The
New England Journal of Medicine April 24, 2003;348:1625-1638
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