Overgewicht gerelateerd aan verschillende soorten kanker.*

Er bestaat en directe relatie tussen overgewicht en bepaalde type’s kanker te weten; darm-, borst-, baarmoeder-, nier-, slokdarm-, pancreas-, galblaas-, en maagkanker.

Wel is er verschil tussen mannen en vrouwen en blijken vrouwen gevoeliger voor overgewicht en het ontstaan van kanker. Het blijkt dat 20% van alle doden door allerlei soorten kanker te wijten zijn aan overgewicht.

OBESITY LINKED TO NINE TYPES OF CANCER
Excess Weight May Contribute to 20% of Cancer Deaths
Among the myriad health risks raised by obesity, heart disease and diabetes are usually the first to come to mind. But as a paper published in last month's Nature Reviews makes clear, fat also increases the risk of developing cancers of the colon, breast, uterus, kidney, esophagus, pancreas, gallbladder and stomach. Among its conclusions, the review of more than 200 epidemiological sources suggests overeating may be the biggest avoidable cause of cancer in nonsmokers.
The extent to which weight makes a difference varies by the type of cancer and also by gender. Being overweight can mean up to two times the risk of developing colon cancer for men, while women's risk is increased 20% to 50%. But the largest obesity-related cancer only affects women: A heavy woman has twice the risk -- and an obese woman up to five times the risk -- of developing uterine cancer than a lean woman.
Just how fat cells spur cancer growth is something scientists are only now beginning to figure out. "Fat cells are not just static storage depots," observes American Cancer Society epidemiologist Eugenia Calle, co-author of the review. Complicating the picture is the fact that different kinds of fat cells spur tumor growth in different ways. The suspected mechanisms range from adipose-induced inflammation to overproduction of certain hormones to insulin regulation.
The good news is that unlike factors beyond our control -- genetic predispositions to certain cancers, for example -- obesity is largely preventable. A low-fat, complex-carbohydrate diet rich in fruits and vegetables has proven to be the most reliable and safest way to maintain a healthy weight over time. What's more, the antioxidants contained in fruits and vegetables are key to neutralizing cancer-causing free radicals, while fiber and other nutrients also play anti-carcinogenic supporting roles.

International Journal of Obesity (2005) 29, 1267−1274. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803020; Obesity and overweight in relation to organ-specific cancer mortality in London (UK): findings from the original Whitehall study

G D Batty^1,2, M J Shipley³, R J Jarrett⁴, E Breeze³, M G Marmot³ and G Davey Smith⁵

¹MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, UK

²Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK

³Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK

⁴Bishopsthorpe Road, London, UK

⁵Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Correspondence: Dr GD Batty, MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, 4 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZE, UK. E-mail: david-b@msoc.mrc.gla.ac.uk

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the relation of obesity and overweight with organ-specific cancer mortality.

METHODS:

In the Whitehall prospective cohort study of London-based government employees, 18 403 middle-age men participated in a medical examination between 1967 and 1970. Subjects were followed up for cause-specific mortality for up to 35 y (median: interquartile range (25th−75th centile); 28.1 y: 18.6−33.8).

RESULTS:

There were over 3000 cancer deaths in this cohort. There was a raised risk of mortality from carcinoma of the rectum, bladder, colon, and liver, and for lymphoma in obese or overweight men following adjustment for range of covariates, which included socioeconomic position and physical activity. These relationships held after exclusion of deaths occurring in the first 20 y of follow-up.

CONCLUSION:

Avoidance of obesity and overweight in adult life may reduce the risk of developing some cancers.( Okt. 2005)