Wednesday, November 6

Being overweight and obese are linked to an increased risk of 13 types of cancer


Overweight and obesity they increase the risk of different types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. The CDC notes that more than 650, 000 cancers associated with obesity in the United States

Sobrepeso y obesidad se relacionan con un mayor riesgo de contraer 13 tipos de cáncer
Breast cancer is the most common obesity-associated cancer in women.

Photo: Andres Ayrton / Pexels

Alba Hernández

Maintain a healthy weight in addition to avoid carcinogenic foods are steps that can help reduce the risk of getting cancer. The National Cancer Institute notes that there is consistent evidence that higher amounts of body fat are associated with higher risks of various types of cancer.

Overweight and obesity have been linked to an increased risk of the following thirteen types of cancer:

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (a type of esophageal cancer), cancer of the breast, colon and rectal cancer, uterine cancer, gallbladder cancer, gastric cancer of the cardia (in the upper part of the stomach), kidney cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, thyroid cancer, meningioma (a type of brain cancer) and multiple myeloma.

Breast cancer is the most common obesity-associated cancer among women after menopause. Colorectal cancer is the most common obesity-associated cancer among men , according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The increased risk of cancer due to overweight and obesity varies depending on the type of cancer. The risk of cancer increases with the excess weight a person gains and the longer they are overweight.

Overweight and obese women have two to four times more probability that normal-weight women develop endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus), and Extremely obese women are almost seven times more likely .

People who are overweight or obese are up to twice as likely as people of normal weight to develop liver and kidney cancer.

Why do overweight and obesity increase the risk of cancer?

There are several possible changes that overweight and obesity can cause in the body that help make cancer. Among them: chronic inflammation; increased production of hormones such as estrogen , whose high concentrations are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer , ovary, endometrial and some others; higher than normal levels of insulin ; altered immune responses ; effects on the nuclear factor kappa beta system; and oxidative stress .

CDC notes that more than 100, 000 cancers associated with obesity occur in the United States each year. The 90% of new obesity-related cancers occur in men and women of 50 years or more.

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