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Obesity Predisposes to a Variety of Cancers

Researchers at the University of Manchester evaluated data from over 140 clinical studies analyzing weight gain. The information was based on over 280,000 participants from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia who experienced weight gain at some point of the study. Analysis was centered on an individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI). Each of the studies evaluated lasted between 9 and 15 years.

It was found that obesity has the greatest impact on the development of esophageal cancer in both men and women. Obese women are also especially prone to develop gallbladder and uterine cancers. Excess weight was also found to increase the risk of breast cancer in some women and colon cancer in men. Thyroid and renal cancers were also shown to be associated with excess weight.

On a positive note, obesity was not found to be associated with lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in premenopausal women.

Specific BMI and cancer associations are as follows:

• Endometrial cancer. 5-point increase in BMI increase risk by 60%
• Breast cancer. 5-point increase in BMI, elevates the risk of developing breast cancer by 12%
• Gallbladder cancer. 5-point BMI increases risk of gallbladder cancer by 59% in women. Men do not seem to be significantly affected
• Colon cancer. 5-point increase in BMI increases the risk of developing colon cancer by 24% and 9%, in men and women, respectively

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