Find out which organs are most at risk if you are overweight and how to prevent cancer. Speaking about obesity, scientists assume a person's condition in which his body contains a large amount of fat or adipose tissues are unevenly distributed. If we compare obese or overweight people with healthy people, then they are at risk of developing a large number of ailments.
Severe forms of obesity contribute to an increase in mortality, as they are the causes of the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system and oncological ailments. Speaking about the effect of excess weight on the development of cancer, the following statistics can be cited - in people with high body weight, gallbladder cancer (women) is 54 percent more common and esophageal cancer (men) is 44% more common.
Rules for determining body mass index
To diagnose obesity, scientists use the term body mass index (BMI). Determining it is quite simple and you need to divide the body weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. To date, there is no more precise definition of the degree of obesity.
Depending on the BMI indicator, we can talk about the presence or absence of this ailment. For this, a special scale was created:
- BMI does not reach 18.5 - lack of body weight.
- BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 - normal weight.
- BMI is in the range of 25 to 29.9 - overweight.
- BMI is between 30 and 39.9 - obesity.
- If the BMI exceeds the value of 40 - severe obesity.
How widespread is obesity today?
As many of you probably know, obesity has become a serious problem in the United States. This is also evidenced by statistics. So in the period from 2011 to 2014, about 70 percent of the adult population of America (over 20 years old) had problems with being overweight, and a third of the country's residents were diagnosed with obesity. By comparison, between 1988 and 1994, only 56 percent of Americans had problems with being overweight.
To make matters worse, the incidence of obesity is steadily increasing in children. Even between the ages of 2 and 9, approximately nine percent of American children have weight problems. In earlier periods, these figures were significantly lower. Agree, such statistics are sad thoughts.
Obesity and cancer: the impact of excess weight on the development of cancer
You have already understood that the influence of excess weight on the development of cancer is more pronounced today than ten years ago. Scientists have proven that the longer a person has weight problems, the more likely it is to develop cancer in old age. Among the most common targets for cancer are the pancreas, esophagus, intestinal tract, kidneys, mammary gland in women and, especially during menopause, endormia and gallbladder. Now we will consider what is the effect of excess weight on the development of oncological diseases of the organs mentioned above.
Breast
Now every experienced endocrinologist and oncologist is sure that overweight problems can become one of the reasons for the development of breast cancer during menopause. Women who ignore climacteric hormone therapy are at particular risk.
For many, the word "hormonal" seems to be something dangerous. However, this type of therapy is necessary during menopause, and if this therapy is carried out under the supervision of an experienced physician, then there will be no negative results. Very often, women prefer to refer to information posted on various women's sites, which are now extremely numerous on the Internet.
Often the information provided on these portals has nothing to do with the actual state of affairs. If a woman begins to follow the advice she has received, then in fact she does everything herself so that breast cancer begins to develop. However, now we are not talking about this and I want to remind you that estrogens are synthesized not only by secretory glands, but also by adipose tissues.
In the presence of an excess, the concentration of hormones increases sharply, which becomes the reason for the appearance of malignant neoplastic neoplasms in the mammary glands. The situation is aggravated by the use of alcoholic beverages, even in small doses. Cigarettes can also become an additional stimulant for the development of cancer.
Note that many experts talk about a causal relationship between a high body mass index and breast cancer, depending on ethnicity and race. For example, there is scientific confirmation of the fact that the influence of excess weight on the development of breast cancer in women of Hispanic and African races is much stronger. It is also necessary to mention the results of one study conducted in the UK. Scientists have found that type 2 diabetes can increase the intensity of this disease during menopause by more than a quarter. At the same time, some scientists see here the influence not of diabetes, but of excess weight.
Endometrial cancer
Back in the twentieth century, scientists drew attention to one pattern - simultaneously with the obesity epidemic, cases of endometrial cancer sharply increased. For example, renowned physician Jonathan Liderman noted this fact in his address to colleagues from the UK. Of course, not only he drew attention to this pattern. Today, leading scientists around the world are trying to find an answer to this question.
Note that obesity at any age can increase the risks of developing this disease. And again speaking about the period of menopause, I would like to remember women who refuse to undergo hormone replacement therapy. Today, more and more people are calling for this on the Internet, but you must understand that such treatment can give positive results only with the agreement and subsequent supervision of a doctor.
If you do not trust one endocrinologist, no one forbids you to turn to another and even a third one. If a response was received from each of them about the advisability of hormone replacement therapy, then this should be done. Follow the advice of your doctor without fail. In conclusion, it is worth noting that diabetes can also stimulate the development of endometrial cancer.
Colorectal cancer
Under this not everyone understandable name hides oncological disease of the colon of the intestinal tract. We have already noted above that men are more susceptible to this disease, but in obese women it also occurs quite often.
The high content of adipose tissue in the abdominal region has long been recognized as the cause of colon cancer. However, the previous ideas about the influence of excess weight on the development of cancer of this organ were not entirely correct. Even many experts were convinced that the main reason for the development of the disease is the excessive load on the intestinal tract associated with abundant food intake.
However, it has now been proven that the whole point is in the disruption of the endocrine system. Many experts in the field of oncology associate this with the high concentration of IGF-1, which is often diagnosed in obesity. Also, thanks to the work of American scientists, it was possible to establish other causes of the development of cancer of the colon of the intestinal tract. For example, this may be a drop in the level of the hormone guaniline, synthesized by the cellular structures of the intestine and subsequently utilized by them.
Kidney
It should be said right away that the influence of excess weight on the development of kidney cancer is extremely interesting and at the same time ambiguous. On the one hand, excessive weight is often associated with renal cell oncological diseases of the clear cell subtype. It is this disease that is most common. However, it is not yet possible to study all the mechanisms of this influence.
For a long time it was believed that it was all about high blood pressure. However, then many scientists began to talk about the presence of other reasons, for example, a high concentration of insulin. But let's not guess, because there is no exact answer to this question yet. Also, according to the results of one study, obesity can increase the life cycle of kidney cells, although the effect of excess weight on the development of cancer of this organ is not in doubt.
Esophagus
With overweight, the risks of developing cancer of the esophagus double at once. Note that this applies to organ adenocarcinoma. The relationship with other diseases of the esophagus has not yet been found, but its presence cannot be ruled out. In the meantime, we can say with complete confidence that obese people are much more likely to suffer from various diseases of the esophagus, for example, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Pancreas
One of the most common cancers of the pancreas is adenocarcinoma. Moreover, among all the ailments of this group, it is the most deadly. If the disease can be diagnosed at an early stage of development, then the chance of survival is significantly increased. However, this disease is very insidious and often proceeds without early symptoms.
If we talk about the influence of excess weight on the development of cancer of the pancreas, then it is obvious. To begin with, overweight problems are often associated with eating a large amount of food, which already implies the need for the pancreas to work at maximum load.
It should also be remembered that adipose tissues are capable of synthesizing various substances, including anti-inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that in the presence of problems with excess weight, the development of inflammatory processes is common. Since they are found throughout the body, the pancreas is no exception.
Now we talked about the effect of excess weight on the development of cancer, which are more common than others. And you probably noticed that women are more susceptible to these ailments than men. Of course, overweight problems cannot be the only reason for the development of malignant neoplastic neoplasms, but the risks are still very high. In this regard, I would like to recommend monitoring your weight, because it is not only useful, but also excellent from an aesthetic point of view.
For more details on how obesity and cancer are linked, see below:
