Obesity could lead to cancer, finds study

Nearly everyone knows that obesity is a major cause of cardiovascular problems and diabetes. But what many do not know is that extra kilos can also lead to that emperor of maladies — cancer. Obesity is now pandemic and researchers have noted a statistically increased risk of developing cancers, especially that of the breast, endometrium, colon and rectum, among overweight people. Several studies including one by National Cancer Institute,USA, indicate that there is a direct link between obesity and cancer. Doctors who conducted these studies say unless obese individuals make appropriate dietary changes, obesity could soon overtake tobacco as the top cause of cancer.

The Overseas Development Institute, an independent think tank, found that Indians constitute a huge chunk of the one in three adults who are obese, a total of up to 1.46 billion across the world. Simultaneously, a 16-year-long study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which followed 90,000 American adults, revealed that the heaviest participants were more likely to develop and die from cancer than participants with healthy weight.

"Though there are no Indian studies on the subject, research done abroad is relevant to us as well as we are increasingly aping the West in terms of diet. The number of obese people in India has increased exponentially," Rigid Lifeline Hospitals surgical gastroenterologist Dr J S Rajkumar said. The surgeon recently submitted a paper to the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Research exposing the link between cancer and obesity. He said though the answer to how obesity causes cancer may be different for each type of cancer, the overall explanation is that obesity triggers changes in bodily functions, which can lead to harmful cell growth and cell division.

Explaining the link, senior diabetologist Dr A Ramakrishnan said the link between obesity and cancer is insulin resistance. "Both obesity and cancer result from body losing its ability to burn fat as fuel. Obesity is linked to excess levels of insulin circulating in blood and this can stimulate harmful cell proliferation. It also increases oxidative stress levels in overweight people, increasing risk of cancer," he said. Stressing on the link between obesity and breast, colon and endometrial cancer, oncologist Dr Deb Narayan Dutta of Apollo Hospitals said excess fat cells, when partially metabolised, become carcinogenic. "In women, obesity exposes them to higher estrogen levels because estrogen is produced in fat tissue. Obese women therefore have more estrogen, which can lead to insulin resistance and the development of more fat tissue, which produces even more estrogen, making it a vicious cycle that raises the risk of estrogen-sensitive cancers," he said. Dr Rajkumar said overweight people can significantly reduce the risk of developing cancer through behavioural, pharmaceutical and surgical strategies.

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