First, the phenomenon of fat people suffering from cancer is prominent.
Obesity is a clear cause of cancer, and data from the American Cancer Institute suggest that as many as one third of cancer cases are related to overweight. Swedish scientists have shown that the incidence of cancer in obese people is 33% higher than that in normal weight people. In recent years, more and more studies have confirmed that obesity increases the risk of cancer. An epidemiological survey involving more than 5 million British adults published in the Lancet, a well-known medical journal, showed that a higher body mass index (BMI = weight/height squared) was associated with an increased risk of morbidity for 10 common cancers. When BMI exceeds the standard (18.5 to 23.9 kg/m ²), the risk of uterine cancer increases by 62%, gallbladder cancer by 31%, kidney cancer by 25%, cervical cancer by 10%, and thyroid cancer and leukemia by about 9%. In addition, the incidence of endometrial cancer in obese women is 2-3 times higher than that in normal women, the incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer increases with weight gain, gallbladder and biliary tract cancer is also more common, and the incidence of colon, rectal and prostate cancer in obese men is higher than that in normal men.
2. Reasons
why fat people are susceptible to cancer
(1) The immune function of obese patients with abnormal immune function is generally abnormal, and the occurrence of cancer is related to abnormal immune function. Obese people mostly have hyperinsulinemia and hypercholesterolemia. The increase of cholesterol will lead to the increase of cholesterol content in macrophage membrane, which will reduce the function of macrophage phagocytosis of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and mutant cells. Similarly, the function of lymphocytes can be inhibited by high cholesterol and insulin in cell membranes. Excessive insulin can promote the growth and reproduction of cancer cells.
(2) The influence of chronic inflammation and adipocytes Obese patients are generally accompanied by chronic inflammation, and adipocytes may act as a protective umbrella for tumor immune escape. In addition, high fat content in the body can also cause abnormal metabolism of sex hormones, leading to the occurrence of related cancers, such as endometrial cancer, breast cancer and so on.
(3) Dietary structure and cancer risk The dietary structure of obese people is unreasonable, and food is prone to contain carcinogenic ingredients. They often eat foods with high fat, high protein and low dietary fiber, which increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Its mechanism may be related to the metabolism of bile acids, and the dehydroxylation of bile acids produces carcinogens in the intestine. A high-fat, high-protein diet causes bile acids to pass through the intestine more slowly and in higher concentrations.
(4) Insulin resistance Most obese people have insulin resistance problems. Leptin, TNF-α and free fatty acids secreted by adipose tissue can lead to insulin resistance. The sensitivity of insulin target organs in their bodies to insulin decreases, so that the body mistakenly believes that insulin secretion is insufficient to meet the basic physiological and metabolic functions. In this case, insulin secretion will increase, eventually leading to hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia plays an important role in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. For example, insulin can directly promote the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells, and can also enhance the activity of insulin-like growth factors through a series of chemical reactions, thereby promoting the growth of tumor cells. Moreover, tumor tissue can further aggravate insulin resistance and form a vicious circle.
2. Specific causes
of cancer in fat people
(1) Living habits affect the preference of obese patients for high-calorie, high-animal fat, high-trans fatty acids and refined carbohydrates, while the intake of dietary fiber, whole grain carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits is insufficient. Such eating habits can cause hormone imbalance in the body. Because fat tissue in obese patients secretes too much aromatase, which accelerates the conversion of estrogen precursors to estradiol and increases serum estradiol levels. Estrogen levels are associated with a variety of cancers. Studies have shown that obese women are 2-3 times more likely to develop endometrial cancer than normal women.
(2) Metabolic and immune problems Obese people are prone to decline in immune function due to excessive accumulation of fat, which will allow cancer cells to enter. The immune function itself has the function of defense and elimination, but if the body’s immunity decreases due to obesity, malignant tumors are prone to occur. At the same time, obese people have bad living habits and eating habits, and make the body’s immunity decline, so there will also be slow metabolism problems. When the metabolism of the body is slow, it is easy to cause slow or insufficient blood supply to the heart. In the long run, ischemic heart disease, pericarditis and other diseases are prone to occur, and endocrine disorders are also affected, which may lead to cancer cells entering.
(3) Hormone change factors The adipose tissue of obese people secretes excessive aromatase, which increases the level of estrogen and is related to the occurrence of many cancers. This is because in addition to fat accumulation, most obese people have bad living habits and eating habits, such as often eating midnight snacks, eating junk food and overeating, which can easily affect the body’s endocrine and hormone levels.
(4) Gastrointestinal problems lead to unreasonable dietary structure of obese people, who often eat foods with high fat, high protein and low dietary fiber, which increases the risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, obese patients are often sedentary, and the speed of gastrointestinal peristalsis decreases, which can easily lead to constipation. High-fat diet can promote the growth of anaerobic bacteria and produce more carcinogenic ingredients, constipation leads to long-term retention of food residues in the body, many of which are absorbed by the human body, easy to cause cancer. The incidence of colorectal cancer in long-term constipation is even 10% higher than that in normal people. Some patients with severe constipation can also cause intestinal obstruction and perforation. Enteritis stimulates the growth of intestinal polyps and has the possibility of canceration.
(5) Obesity is often associated with diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and other diseases, which may increase the probability of morbidity of colorectal cancer. For example, obese patients have a higher risk of colorectal cancer, because obesity often coexists with diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and other diseases, which are high risk factors for colorectal cancer.
3. Obesity is closely
related to cancer There is a clear link between
obesity and many cancers, which has been confirmed by many studies. In addition to the 11 cancers that are highly associated with obesity mentioned above and the 10 cancers that are closely associated with obesity pointed out in the Lancet, other studies have shown that obesity is also closely related to brain tumors, thyroid cancer, multiple myeloma and other cancers. The immune function of obese patients is generally abnormal, which plays a key role in the development of cancer. Obese people mostly have hyperinsulinemia and hypercholesterolemia. The increase of cholesterol decreases the phagocytic function of macrophages and inhibits the function of lymphocytes. Excessive insulin not only promotes the growth and reproduction of cancer cells, but also leads to metabolic disorders. Obese patients are usually accompanied by chronic inflammation, and fat cells may act as a protective umbrella for tumor immune escape.
In a word, obesity is closely related to a variety of cancers. Obese people should pay attention to their own health and adopt scientific and reasonable weight loss methods to reduce the risk of cancer.
Obesity
