Obesity and Cancer Risks

FRIDAY FEB 15, 2008 (Foodconsumer.org) -- Obesity and overweight may be a risk factor for many types of cancers, suggests a study published on Friday in the Lancet medical journal. The review found the higher the body mass index, the higher the risk of a total of 20 types of cancers.

A scientist affiliated with foodconsumer.org who did not want to be named cautioned that although obesity and overweight may be an independent risk factor for developing a cancer, one way to lose weight may not result in the same decrease in the risk as another. For instance, it is unknown weight loss by surgery or taking drugs would reduce the risk of cancer in obese people.

The study analyzing data from 144 published studies involving 282,000 men and women also found that gender plays a role in the association between obesity and some cancers.

Obese people were more likely to develop a total of 20 different types of cancer including some less common types that had not been shown before, Andrew Renehan, lead author and a cancer specialist at the University of Manchester told Reuters.

The excess body weight was linked to increased risk in cancers such as blood cancers such as adult leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for both men and women, studies showed.

For the current study, Renehan and colleagues analyzed the association between body mass index (BMI) ranging from the normal (18 to 25) to overweight (25 to 30) or from overweight to obese (above 30) and the risk of a variety of cancers.

Overweight men were found to be 33 percent more likely to develop thyroid cancer and 24 percent more likely to contract colon and kidney cancers than those with normal BMI. Overweight women would have a 59 percent increased risk for gall bladder cancer and a 34 percent increased risk for kidney cancer.

The researchers found the association of cancer and obesity was similar across Asia, Europe and North America while in women living in Asia, the link between BMI and breast cancer was higher than those in other regions.

The following are some studies that foodconsumer.org has reported early.

Overweight, obese and prostate cancer

A new study published in the December 15, 2007 issue of CANCER by Dr. Jason Efstathiou from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues found that prostate cancer patients with a greater body mass index (BMI) at the time of cancer diagnosis were twice as likely to die from locally advanced prostate cancer as patients who had a healthy BMI at diagnosis.

Evidence suggests that higher levels of leptin, insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 might be the culprits that are responsible for the increased risk of prostate cancer.

Obesity may be responsible for 5 percent of cancer cases

A new study funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Nov. 2007 in the British Medical Association suggests 5% of cancer cases in the UK are caused by being overweight or obesity. The types of cancer include kidney cancer, leukemia, multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer and bowel cancer.

Obesity and esophageal cancer

The study published in the British journal GUT found people with a body mass index of 40 or higher were six times more at risk than those with a BMI between 18.5 and 25, which is normal by definition. Those with obesity and acid reflux were 16 times more likely to have the disease.

Obesity and pancreatic cancer

A new study published in the August 15, 2007 issue of Cancer Research found obese people with pancreatic cancer had low levels of a protein called IGFBP-1 suggesting a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

Obesity and breast cancer

A study published in the July 1, 2006 issue of Cancer showed postmenopausal women who gained weight in adulthood faced a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer.

Women who gained over 60 pounds were up to three times more likely to have breast cancer spread than women with less weight gain. The risk was about 70 percent higher in women with a weight gain of 21 to 40 pounds and 1.8 times greater in women who gained between 41 and 60 pounds.

The researchers found that the greater the BMI, the greater the risk for all types, stages, and grades of breast cancer, especially for late-stage cancer or cancer that had spread to other parts of the body.

5 Medical Tests That May Keep You Well

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Like a scene out of Star Trek, someday our doctors may simply wave a handheld device over our bodies and instantly diagnose any malady. In the meantime, however, it’s important to keep abreast of the latest tests that can help us stay healthy—especially those that uncover risks before symptoms actually occur. The following five tests are not yet considered as routine as cholesterol or blood-sugar tests, but chances are your doctor already is familiar with them. Not every test is necessary at every visit, and your insurance company may not pay unless it considers a particular test “medically necessary.” Still, ask about them. Here’s why they may be important to you.

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CRP, or C-reactive protein

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Vitamin D level

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H. pylori test

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Aspirin check

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Insulin level

Study Shows More Exercise, Less Sitting Goes a Long Way For Diabetics

“There is one message that really needs to be made stronger in public health,” said Steve McKenzie an administrator of the A. H. Ismail Center for Health, Exercise and Nutrition at Purdue University. “That is physical activity, regardless of your size, is going to make you a healthier person.”

A large U.S. government study from 2002 found that even moderate exercise and a healthy diet that resulted in a 5 to 7 percent weight loss could delay and even prevent type 2 diabetes.

The goal should be “not so much increasing the exercise but decreasing the sedentary behaviors,” said Norma Olvera, an associate professor of health and human performance at the University of Houston.

The current recommendation is that any activity only needs to be done for 10 minutes at a time, adding up to at least 30 minutes a day, to help regulate glucose levels and lower “bad” cholesterol.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

CKD is a major public health problem which affects 20 million people in the U.S. (early CKD) and another 20 million people are at risk of developing CKD.
It is estimated that that 8 million people in the U.S. have significant renal impairment and 10 million have kidney damage.

To put it in perspective, when compared to cancer deaths per 1,000, kidney failure is second only to lung cancer.

A simple and inexpensive blood test [Creatinine w/ (eGFR)] can help identify the risk.

Who should be screened for CKD using the eGFR?

• Patients with diabetes
• Patients with hypertension
• Relatives of patients with CKD
• Patients with other risk factors such as obesity, CVD, chronic NSAID use
  

Cholesterol Medication Updates

As the discussion continues on the benefits and risks of taking statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs, two interesting articles have appeared:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/18/news/companies/vytorin.ap/index.htm

and the cover story in this weeks (01/21/08) BUSINESS WEEK.

Note: Analysis of employees participating in corporate health screenings (65 different employers) conducted by OHD in the last six months shows the following results:

34.6% of the individuals were outside of normal ranges in one or more components of their cholesterol test (Lipid Panel).