National health authorities have linked carrying excess weight to a greater risk of being diagnosed with at least 13 different types of cancer, especially for people over the age of 50.
While there are several risk factors when it comes to developing cancer, being overweight or obese appears to contribute significantly to the prevalence of certain cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, colon and rectum, breast, uterus, brain, gallbladder, upper stomach, kidneys, liver, ovaries, pancreas, and thyroid, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the CDC.
Moreover, a new study published in April in The Journal of Clinical Investigation found a strong correlation between obesity and clonal hematopoiesis — a blood condition caused by a cellular mutation that increases the risk of blood cancer.
While it is poorly understood exactly why excess weight leads to higher rates of cancer, research provides some indications of how this occurs.
For instance, NCI pointed out that people who are overweight have higher levels of hormones such as insulin, IGF-1, estrogen, and leptin — all of which have been shown to play a role in the development and spread of certain cancers.
Overweight or obese people — especially those who have carried excess weight since childhood — also tend to have higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can heighten a person’s cancer risk. In fact, as the CDC explained, a person’s risk of cancer goes up the more excess weight they carry and the longer they carry it.
As The Dallas Express has extensively covered, health officials have been sounding the alarm on surging childhood obesity rates for years. In 2020, 15.9% of Texas children aged 2-4 and 20.7% aged 10-17 were obese, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health.
The CDC estimated that upwards of 684,000 new cancer cases related to excess weight are logged each year in the United States, with 90% concerning individuals aged 50 or above. Women are represented twice as often as men, with 470,000 and 210,000 cases logged, respectively.
Although being overweight does not guarantee a cancer diagnosis, health authorities stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular physical exercise.
As NCI explained, one key element currently being explored by researchers is the role played by gut microbes in the apparent connection between cancer and excess weight.
Obese individuals have far less diverse gut microbes than those of a healthy weight. Gut microbes in the human gastrointestinal tract affect levels of inflammation, immune responses, and the production of energy in the body. Not only does this make gut microbes instrumental in the development and proliferation of cancerous cells, but also in the efficiency of cancer therapies, as recent studies have suggested.
As The Dallas Express recently reported, following a diet aimed at enhancing microbes in the gut has also been shown to help with weight loss. Such diets entail eating fiber-rich unprocessed foods like nuts, steak, lentils, fruits, and vegetables.
