Having excess body fat that is considered unhealthy for a person's stature is called obesity. It is one of the most pressing health problems, and may soon become the leading cause of preventable death. Besides high body mass index (BMI), individuals with increased belly fat may be at a greater risk of developing cancer, including of the breast and bowel, especially in older adults, researchers have warned.
‘Change in the levels of sex hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, rising levels of insulin, etc. are all indicators of increased cancer risk which comes with obesity.’
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Being overweight or obese is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking. The findings revealed that for every 11 cm increase in the waistline, the risk of obesity related cancers such as breast, bowel, womb, oesophageal (food pipe), pancreatic, kidney, liver, upper stomach (gastric cardia), gallbladder, ovarian, thyroid, etc., escalates by 13 percent.
Adding nearly eight cm to the hips increases the risk of developing bowel cancer by 15 percent.
"Our findings show that both BMI and where body fat is carried on the body can be good indicators of obesity-related cancer risk. Specifically, fat carried around the waist may be important for certain cancers," said lead author Heinz Freisling and scientist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO) in France.
Carrying excess body fat can change the levels of sex hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, cause levels of insulin to rise, and thus lead to inflammation, all of which are factors that have been associated with increased cancer risk, the researchers explained.
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"To better reflect the underlying biology at play, we think it's important to study more than just BMI when looking at cancer risk. And our research adds further understanding to how people's body shape could increase their risk," Freisling added.
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Source-IANS