Why Obesity-Related Cancers Are a Huge Cause of Concern

Being overweight or obese is a health hazard. Gone are the days when a protruding belly was a sign of wealth and good standard of life. Obesity is alarmingly on the rise, affecting little children as well. Its repercussions are plenty, from heart disease, breathing problems, liver failure to even cancer. Did you know that obesity leads to 13 types of cancer? According to an earlier study done by United Kingdom's Imperial College, obesity leads to 13 types of cancer as fat cells affect the processes that regulate the growth of cancer cells in the human body. Due to excess fat in the body, fat cells produce hormones and proteins. Besides being released into the bloodstream, these are also circulated around the body and this is why they increase the risk of several different types of cancer.

In India, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4A), a Government health survey, found that the number of overweight men in the country has doubled over the past decade. In case of women, one in five women is now overweight. While maximum cases of obesity affect urban upper and middle class families, the rural population has also showed a significant number - 14.3 per cent men were found to be obese.

Obesity is the root cause of most of the diseases due to its adverse effects on our respiratory system, metabolism, circulatory system, etc. A study done by National Cancer Institute, Maryland (US), revealed that excess of weight during the early 20s puts one at an increased risk of developing cancer of either the esophagus or upper stomach in adulthood by three times. The results concluded that people who are overweight at the age of 20 are nearly 60-80 percent more likely to develop these cancers in later life, compared to those who maintained a healthy weight throughout life.

According to a study by WHO's cancer research agency, obesity is to blame for nearly half a million cases of cancer a year, with overweight women at a far greater risk than men. Can a high-fat diet lead to breast cancer in obese women? A group of researchers at Cornell University in New York found that obesity results in stiffer breast tissue that promotes the growth of cancer. Obesity leads to a stiffening of the meshwork material that surrounds fat cells in the breast, called the extracellular matrix, and these biomechanical changes creates the right conditions for tumours.

The World Cancer Research Fund also stated earlier that the cumulative evidence of the link between putting on too much weight and advanced prostate cancer is strong. They estimate that 10% of advanced prostate cancers in the UK - those that can kill - could be prevented if men kept to a healthy weight.

Among the 13 types of cancer, which are believed to have strong connection with weight gain, are oesophageal (food pipe), pancreatic, liver, stomach, colon and rectum, gallbladder, lung, kidney and gynaecological cancer. Among women, breast, ovary or uterus cancer could occur.