Excess weight and Diabetes responsible for 6 percent of cancers globally

It’s good to watch your diet, because a recent report suggested that nearly 6 percent of cancers are caused due to diabetes and excess weight.

Dr. Graham Colditz, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, said that the causes of cancers like obesity and diabetes can easily be prevented, and there are multiple levels at which this can be done. A person at individual level or community level along with certain policies and effective health care system can prevent the risk of developing cancer.

Colditz suggested that some encouraging programs or actions can be taken to maintain a healthy weight throughout the life; even these steps can be taken at an early age.

Since diabetes and obesity lead to several biological changes like elevated sugar level, chronic inflammation and sex hormone imbalance, these changes may result in the development of certain types of cancer.

For this study, health data from 175 countries were analyzed. The study indicated that 5.6% of the new cancer cases had high body mass index (BMI) and diabetes.
The study found that 4 percent of the cancers were caused by obesity while 2 percent were caused by diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes, which was most commonly found in the participants, was associated with overweight and obesity.

According to the data, most of the cancer cases were reported in wealthy Western countries, East and South Asian countries.

Dr. Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard of Imperial College London suggested that since these risk factors are increasing worldwide, thus there is a need to keep an eye on the prevention of such diseases.

He further said, “It is important that effective food policies are implemented to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetes, high BMI and the diseases related to these risk factors.”

At the end, Colditz added, “global burden of cancer due to high BMI and diabetes will continue to increase unless the prevalence of these conditions fall.”

Source:health.com