Excessive weight can increase your risk of cancer People with cancer who starve themselves tend to live longer than those who eat a lot. The first evidence of this came from victims of concentration camps: some of the individuals who went into concentration camps had been diagnosed with cancer and while in the camps were in remission. Upon being liberated from the camps, when they resumed their normal diet, their cancer recurred. Starvation is not recommended as a treatment of cancer, however. Research about obesity and cancer is in the early stages. Other studies out of Harvard have shown that diets rich in high glycemic index carbohydrates have a higher incidence of cancer.
Research has shown that 14 percent of cancer deaths in men and 20 percent of cancer deaths in women may be due to excessive weight. One study speculated that 90,000 cancer deaths could be prevented if America simply slimmed down. Obese males are four times as likely to die from cancer of the liver, and obese women have six times the death risk from cancer of the uterus. Obese people are also at risk for cervical, ovarian, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, stomach, liver, prostate, and multiple myeloma, and several other types. Almost every type of cancer has been studied and a startling fact emerged. There are more obese patients with cancer than not. Weight loss surgery can reverse cirrhosis of the liver There is an entity called fatty liver, also known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), or its newer name, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is associated with obesity. This occurs when there is a build up of fat in the liver. While fat in the liver is not a problem, it can cause an inflammatory response and ultimately can lead to cirrhosis and even death from liver failure. The build up of fat in the liver of patients with obesity is not related to fat in the diet, but rather to a diet rich in carbohydrates (again, common cause of obesity in the United States). It is also highly associated with type II diabetes and patients with elevated blood triglycerides (both related to obesity).
Fatty liver can occur in patients who have had the obesity surgery called the jejuno-ileal bypass. This surgery is no longer performed, partially because there were a number of deaths from liver disease. The modern surgeries, which are performed for weight loss— including Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch, vertical banded gastroplasty, and the lap-band, have not been associated with this complication. Weight loss surgery can reverse the fatty infiltration of the liver. If fatty liver goes unchecked, it can lead to cirrhosis. As a side note, one reason The American Society of Bariatric Surgeons recommends that individuals who have had the jejuno-ileal bypass have it reversed is because of the incidence of fatty-liver. Just to add to this trauma, if you are morbidly obese, you are not a candidate for a liver transplant or any other transplant. Continue |
There have been many studies showing that people who are overweight (obese) have a higher incidence of cancer than those who are not. Part of the problem comes from the fat cells themselves; besides storing fat, they are also your body’s warehouse for hormones, toxic chemicals, and a few other things. The more storage space you have the more stuff you store that can cause cancer cells to be stimulated.
