1 week ago

Obesity-Cancer Link: Why Excess Weight and Metabolic Health Matter

Having too much body fat does not mean someone will definitely get cancer.

However, it can make some cancers more likely.

Body fat can cause long-lasting inflammation and change hormones and blood sugar control.

These changes may help damaged cells grow.

The longer someone has obesity, the longer the body may be exposed to these changes.

BMI is useful, but it does not show where fat is stored or how healthy a person’s metabolism is.

This is especially important for South Asians, who may have health risks at lower BMI levels.

Healthy food, exercise, good sleep and avoiding smoking can help lower risk.

Weight-loss medicines called GLP-1 drugs may improve health, but researchers have not proven that they prevent cancer.

Key facts

Cancer links: Excess body weight is associated with at least 13 types of cancer, according to the US National Cancer Institute.
Cancers mentioned: Associations include postmenopausal breast, colorectal, endometrial, oesophageal, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancers.
Strong associations: Endometrial cancer has one of the strongest associations with obesity; oesophageal adenocarcinoma is also strongly linked to excess weight.
Key mechanisms: Inflammation, insulin resistance, altered insulin-like growth factors, hormonal changes, immune changes and oxidative stress may contribute to risk.
BMI limitation: People with the same BMI can have different amounts and distributions of body fat, so waist circumference and visceral fat may provide additional information.
South Asian risk: South Asians may have higher body fat, visceral fat and insulin resistance than white populations at the same BMI.
GLP-1 medicines: GLP-1 receptor agonists may improve weight and metabolic health, but current research does not establish them as cancer-prevention medicines.

firstpost.com · 1 week ago