Obesity can Put You at Risk for Many Health Problems Including Cancer – Say Experts
We are fully aware that obesity is not good for our health. But it is even worse. According to experts, this condition can lead to the development of 13 different types of cancer. Also, those with obesity are at greater risk. In terms of numbers, such people are 1.5 to 4 times at risk of developing cancers. Such people have greater chances of developing cancer in organs like the stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colorectal, liver, kidney, pancreas and thyroid.
Obese women also face the impact of reproductive organ cancer. According to research, they are at increased – around 4-7 times – risk when compared to non-obese women when it comes to organ cancer like endometrial. Similarly, they are at increased risk of 1.5 times and 1.1 times developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer respectively.
If Experts are to be Believed, BMI Between 25 – 30 is Considered Overweight and Above 30 is Obese.
Obese people are at higher risk, around 30 per cent, as compared to non-obese people when it comes to breast cancer and colorectal cancer – the two most common obesity-related cancers in women and men respectively.
According to Tausif Ahmed Thangalvadi, Medical Director at NURA, a study in 2019 found that of the total global cases of cancers, obesity-related cancers accounted for nearly 4 per cent of it.
Thangalvadi said that a report by Unicef – titled World Obesity Atlas 2022 – has predicted that India will have around 2.7 crore children with obesity by 2030.
According to Thangalvadi, there are several ways in which obesity can increase the risk of cancer. “Excess levels of oestrogen are released by fat tissue in the human body. This can lead to an increased risk of cancers like breast, ovarian and endometrial. Risk of colorectal, kidney and prostate cancer increases because of high levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in obese people,” he added.
