Obesity Increases Risk Of Cancer And Could Overtake Tobacco As The Leading Cause Of Cancer

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Recent Advances in Obesity-Cancer Linkages

Much of the information in the public domain focuses on the effects of obesity on heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, missing out on the relationship between obesity and cancer. A recent study described their relationship as that of "The Oil That Feeds the Flame."

The idea that obesity causes cancer is not a very old one. It is of fairly recent origin, and a report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2002 confirmed this for the first time.

More recently, in 2016 IARC confirmed that obesity increased the risk of 13 types of cancer. These are the cancer of the colon, esophagus, kidney, breast, uterus, stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, ovary, thyroid, multiple myeloma, and meningioma.

Profiling Obesity-Cancer Linkage

Obesity is not a black and white type of condition, It is a state which can have various presentations that can be mild, moderate, or severe and a person can always be in a grey zone.

Not all fat people have the same risk of cancer. As per the World Cancer Report, 2014 released by WHO, "The higher the degree of obesity, the higher is the risk of developing cancer". But it must also be noted that even overweight people have a higher risk of cancer than lean individuals.

It is not only the risk of cancer that is increased due to obesity. Obesity also worsens the severity of disease and increases rates of recurrences and death.

Other effects of obesity like a younger age and advanced stage at diagnosis have also been reported by several studies. The role of body weight reduction even after the diagnosis of cancer is also being evaluated in studies.

Obesity Epidemic And Cancer Occurrence

In developed countries like the United States where obesity is rampant, obesity-related cancer already accounts for about 40 percent of all cancers as per a report from the CDC.

Also, it is interesting to note that while the rates of non-obesity related cancers are declining, the rates of obesity-related cancers show an increasing trend in the USA.

Up to 50 % of cancers are avoidable and can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle as per the Latest Expert Report of World Cancer Research Fund (2018). The report highlighted the ongoing shift among the preventable causes of cancer where smoking is being replaced by obesity and a quote from the report clearly delivers the message:

If current trends (of increasing obesity) continue, obesity is likely to overtake smoking as the number one risk factor for cancer.

How Does Obesity Cause Cancer?

Finally, addressing the "How" part.

Obesity causes many abnormalities in the functioning of several body systems. Some of these like generalized inflammation, imbalance of hormones, insulin resistance, alterations of gut microbes, and immune system alterations.
These alterations provide a favorable environment to body cells in undergoing cancerous changes.

About the author: Dr. Naval Asija is a licensed MBBS Physician from India. MBBS is the equivalent of the MD degree offered by international medical schools. He is based in Delhi, India, and works as a medical writer, editor, and consultant. He supports medical researches as an author's editor, medical communication companies involved in medico-marketing activities, and medical technology companies in improving their products. He can be contacted via his LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navalasija/

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