GI Cancer and Obesity: Fighting One Means Addressing the Other

By 2030, it is projected that most Americans will be overweight, and of those, nearly 50% of adults will be obese. Although the majority of Americans are aware that obesity can have adverse health consequences, survey findings show that few are aware that it can increase cancer risk.

The link between weight and cancer may not be linear, yet large-scale epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a consistent and compelling association between the risk for cancer development and obesity, as defined by body mass index (BMI).

Studies also show that obesity decreases lifespan by up to 8 years and is linked to at least 236 other medical problems, including 13 types of cancer (Table).

Table. Cancers Related to Obesity

The complex manner in which obesity drives cancer risk was previously highlighted in a reviewThe authors noted that chronic inflammation is a characteristic of obesity and a known mediator of cancer. Obesity-induced inflammation adds additional cancer risk via multiple mechanisms of adipose dysfunction and increased proinflammatory factors. Dysregulation of leptin, adiponectin, and chemokines results in cancer microenvironment changes to enhance protumoral consequences. Additionally,