Weight Loss Is Associated With Significantly Higher Rate of Cancer [Study]

Obesity has become a global problem, and the condition is associated with at least 13 types of cancer. Thus, many are working on shedding the extra pounds, but doing so can also reportedly lead to the same outcome -- cancer.

Weight Loss Linked to Cancer

A new study about weight loss and cancer had shocking results. The researchers learned that weight loss was associated with a significantly higher rate of cancer in 12 months after shedding the extra pounds compared to those who hadn't lost weight.

Data from about 160,000 medical professionals who had been under research for an average of 28 years were used in the study. Up to 2016, these individuals provided health and lifestyle information every two years. The researchers closely monitored the weight fluctuations.

Depending on how deliberate they were about losing weight, participants were split into three groups: "high" for those who improved both their food and activity, "medium" for those who made changes to either, and "low" for those who made no appreciable changes to either.

One startling discovery among the participants was that those who lost over 10% of their body weight had a markedly increased chance of receiving a cancer diagnosis the following year.

However, not every cancer was associated with weight reduction. The study discovered a high correlation between weight loss and pancreatic, bile duct, liver, and upper digestive system (stomach and gullet) cancers.

The risk was significantly higher for these kinds, with chances rising by three to more than seven times. However, the association was less pronounced for lung and colorectal cancer and did not appear to influence the risk of developing breast, prostate, or malignancies specific to women.

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Obesity and Cancer

Obesity affects all nations, but in the past ten years, lower-income nations have seen the biggest rise in the disease. The prevalence of obesity has not decreased in any nation, nor is any on track to achieve the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of "no increase on 2010 levels by 2025."

Over 4 billion individuals may be impacted by overweight and obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) by 2035, according to estimations, up from around 2.6 billion in 2020. This condition is also referred to as high BMI throughout this Atlas. This indicates that by 2035, nearly 50% of the world's population will have grown from 38% in 2020.

In the same time frame, it is projected that the prevalence of obesity alone will increase from 14% to 24% of the population, affecting around 2 billion adults, children, and adolescents by 2035.

Numerous common cancers, such as those of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, gallbladder, uterus, pancreas, and liver, have been related to obesity. Additionally, obesity raises the chance of dying from cancer and may affect the options for therapy.

Obesity is linked to between 4 and 8% of all cancer cases. It is unclear how fat causes cancer because the underlying mechanism is complicated. Dietary adjustments, physical activity, and behavior therapy are the cornerstones of interventions. For sure, for cancer survivors who are obese, drug therapy and weight reduction surgery can help them lose weight more quickly.