A new study says obesity-related cancers among younger and older adult populations are on the rise globally.
The research published in Annals of Internal Medicine contradicts previous findings that found some malignancies predominantly impacted younger adults. Researchers examined two decades of data from cancer patients, discovering that obesity-driven carcinogenesis was affecting people across age groups.
The study analyzed data from 42 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Researchers focused on 13 cancer types identified in earlier studies that were found to be rising in younger adults: leukemia, stomach, breast, colorectal, endometrial, prostate, gallbladder, liver, kidney, oesophageal, thyroid, oral, and pancreatic. Patients were divided into two cohorts: younger adults (20-49 years old) and older adults (50 and up).
The findings showed that six types of cancer, namely, leukemia, thyroid, colorectal, kidney, breast, and endometrial, were rising in prevalence among younger and older adults in almost three-quarters of the countries included in the study. Notably, these cancers, which are largely linked to obesity, appear to affect adults broadly rather than being limited to certain age groups.
The accumulation of fat deposits can drive inflammation throughout the body, alter hormone levels, disrupt cell metabolism, and promote a carcinogenic environment. Of the cancers identified, endometrial and kidney cancers were found to have the strongest association with obesity.
The researchers also found liver, oral, food pipe, and stomach cancers were declining in the younger of the two groups. It is theorized that more effective public health campaigns, like those against tobacco use and alcohol consumption, could be responsible for the improvement.
However, gut cancers were noted to be on the rise in younger adults in particular. One reason could be due to higher exposure to new carcinogens in the environment, or even changing diets.