Obesity Linked to 100,000 Cancer Cases a Year

By Rachel Stockton 

Yesterday, over and over again, the CNN news ticker read that obesity causes 100,000 cases of cancer per year. 

Many publications and health care forums have been announcing that 70% of all doctor visits are lifestyle related; apparently, however, the problem is much more specific than that.  The “numero uno” lifestyle issue that threatens to undo us is obesity.

Researchers for the American Institute for Cancer Research made the numerical announcement yesterday; for the first time, they stated, they were able to attach “real numbers” to the ever growing problem.  Here’s the breakdown of specific cancers caused by body fat:

*Endometrial cancers:  49%

*Esophageal cancer:  35%

*Pancreatic cancer:  28%

*Kidney cancer:  24%

*Gallbladder cancer:  21%

*Breast cancer:  17%

Colorectal cancer:  9%

The team also was careful to emphasize that not only does obesity raise risk for getting cancer, it also can hinder treatment.

What is it about adipose tissue that fosters cancerous cells?  Apparently, excess fat increases oxidative stress as well as inflammatory compounds in the blood.   Also, some researchers believe that body fat releases excess estrogen, which could be a major factor in estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers.

Obesity also increases the risk of a plethora of other life threatening illnesses:  heart disease, diabetes (which can result in kidney disease and renal failure), and high blood pressure.