Obesity Significantly Raises the Risk of 7 Types of Cancer, Women Study
An obese woman increases her risk of developing weight-related cancer in her life by 40%, says a new study, according to BBC.
The increase could expose the woman to seven types of cancer, including bowel, post-menopausal breast, gallbladder, womb, kidney, pancreatic and oesophageal cancer, says research.
New statistics released by Cancer Research UK says that obese women may have a one in four risk of developing cancer linked to weight.
In the US, about 35.1 percent of adults aged 20 and above have been found to be obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight people usually face high medical costs, with $1,429 more spent p on health every year, compared to normal-weight people, according to yahoo.com.
The American Cancer Society says that obesity may interfere with immune system functions, or affect levels of hormones, such as estrogen and insulin, in order to drive cancer development.
The study looked at a group of 1,000 obese women, of which 274 will be diagnosed with a bodyweight-linked cancer in their lives, compared to 194 women diagnosed in a group of 1,000 healthy weight women, researchers said.
"Losing weight isn't easy, but you don't have to join a gym and run miles every day or give up your favourite food forever. Just making small changes that you can maintain in the long term can have a real impact," said Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK.
"We know that our cancer risk depends on a combination of our genes, our environment and other aspects of our lives, many of which we can control - helping people understand how they can reduce their risk of developing cancer in the first place remains crucial in tackling the disease. Lifestyle changes - like not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on alcohol -are the big opportunities for us all to personally reduce our cancer risk. Making these changes is not a guarantee against cancer, but it stacks the odds in our favour," Sharp said.
