Obesity and Cancer! Are they Related?? Can Obesity Cause Cancer? Let’s Find out…
The condition or state of the body in which a person has an unhealthy amount of body fat is known as Obesity. Obesity is measured with the help of the Body Mass Index Scale (BMI). According to one of the very fine cancer specialist, India, Dr. Rishi Sharma explains it as –The healthy BMI in kg/m2 is 18.5 to 24.9, so a person with BMI above this number is obese which has to be maintained immediately whereas a person with BMI lower than this mark, needs to gain some weight.
Many time we have seen people asking that is there any relation between cancer and obesity? Is cancer caused due to obesity? Yes, Obesity can cause Cancer. Do you know that being overweight or being obese can generate 11 different types of cancer like breast, esophagus, gallbladder, bowel, endometrial, ovarian, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas and prostate?
Apart from cancer, the other diseases which are associated with Obesity are diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In this article, we will be discussing the connection of cancer with obesity, how obesity can cause cancer, how you can prevent or control obesity, and much more.
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How obesity lead to cancer?
The extra body fat can’t just sit quietly in the body, it’s always active and sends signals to the rest of the body. These signals tell and make the cells of the body divide more often. And when the cells divide more often, they can cause cancer. Also, it is not sure that the whole population who is overweight will get caused by cancer. This entirely depends on the body’s immunity and other factors.
The stages or we can say the procedure involved in the cause of cancer by obesity is:
- The fats cells of the body make extra hormones and growth factors.
- These hormones and growth factors make the cells divide at a more frequent rate which with time increasing the risk of developing cancer.
- This continuous procedure leads to the development of cancer cells.
Relation Between Obesity and Cancer
The possible reasons which link obesity and cancer are as follows:
- When a person is diagnosed with insulin and insulin growth factor-1, there is a risk of developing cancer.
- Chronic low-level inflammation is one of the common links between obesity and cancer.
- Obesity is one of the causes of Breast and Endometrial Cancer as the fat tissues produce a higher amount of estrogen in the body.
- The processes that regulate the cancer cell growth of the body is also affected by the fat tissues.
How to measure the obesity?
As we have already mentioned that obesity is measured according to the BMI score of the person. In calculating the BMI Score, the height, weight, waist measurements are considered. Check the below table to get knowledge of healthy BMI.
BMI in kg/m2 | Weight Category |
Below 18.5 | Underweight |
18.5 to 24.9 | Normal |
25.0 to 29.9 | Overweight |
30.0 to 39.9 | Obese |
40.0 or higher | Severely obese |
Is there the same link between Obesity and Cancer in Children?
The link between obesity and cancer is not seen in children, it’s only seen in adults. Generally, the students are not that much obese at the school level which can increase the risk of cancer. But maintaining healthy body weight is very important for the children too. Eat Healthy and Exercise Healthy.
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Weight Management Tips
If you are overweight or if you are obese, no need to panic as this can be easily maintained by following the below-mentioned tip to control overweight or tips to control obesity.
- Take a healthy diet. Eat more and more vegetables and fruits for the better and hygienic health. Whole Grains and Lean Proteins are also the suggested food to eat.
- Try to avoid the fruits and beverages which are high in sugar as sugar is one of the leading factors behind obesity.
- Maintain a healthy number of calories in the body, don’t over consume it.
- Get Enough Sleep
- Perform the exercises regularly. All the people are advised to perform 30-60 min exercises for the better health. Exercise helps in maintaining the body weight. Even yoga is also a good option.
- Change the lifestyle approach. Add an intense exercise session, followed by a healthy diet. For the proper diet and exercise schedule, you are advised to contact a dietitian, clinical psychologist, exercise physiologist.
Medication and surgery are also the options for which a person can choose to lose weight. To know more on this, contact the doctor. If you are an overweight person and facing some early symptoms of any type of cancer you must not wait and consult the nearest cancer treatment center.
So, we can conclude that Obesity is directly connected to Cancer. Maintain good health and weight to be on the safe side. For any query, you can communicate with us via comments.