Obesity-related cancers rising among American millennials
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Obesity-related cancers rising among American millennials
It appears the obesity epidemic over the past 40 years is resulting in steeper increases of come obesity-related cancers in young Americans who are paying the price. There is already a well-established link between those with obesity and having higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and joint complications. Now, a new study finds that certain cancers can be added to this list, especially among young adults between the ages of 25 to 49. The study, appearing in The Lancet Public Health, suggests that the incidence of cancer will likely increase as this younger population ages.
The disturbing revelations from this study show that cancers are rising faster among younger adults compared to older adults, when most cancers occur. There are concerns that if these cancers continue to increase, this could stall or perhaps even reverse years of progress in reducing cancer deaths.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 25 state cancer registries that cover 67 percent of the U.S. population. Researchers looked at 30 of the most common cancer types, including 12 obesity-related cancers, diagnosed from 1995 to 2014. According to the study, the cancer incidence increases were particularly severe in six of the 12 obesity-related cancers which included the following:
· Colon cancer
· Uterine cancer
· Gallbladder cancer
· Kidney cancer
· Pancreatic cancer
· Multiple myeloma – a bone marrow cancer
As an example, the average annual rate for pancreatic cancer was about 1 percent in those aged 40 to 84, 1.3 percent in those aged 35 to 39, nearly 3 percent in those aged 30 to 34, and 4 percent among those aged 25 to 29. The rise in kidney cancer among young adults aged 25 to 29, rose 6 percent. In fact, this study found that millennials were nearly five times as likely as baby boomers to develop cancer of the kidneys.
Researchers with the study speculate that the obesity epidemic has led to younger generations experiencing an earlier and longer lasting exposure to excess weight or adipose tissue over their lifetime than previous generations. Excess body weight is a known carcinogen, associated with more than a dozen cancers and suspected in several more. When exposures to carcinogens occur early in life, they can have an even more important influence on cancer risk by acting during crucial developmental periods.
The same authors of this current study had identified several years ago increases in early onset colorectal cancer in the U.S. This trend has been seen in countries of high-income and may partly reflect the obesity epidemic.
Excess weight may promote cancer in several ways. It can increase inflammation, which is a risk factor for a number of chronic conditions and has been found to fuel cancer cell growth. Obesity may also alter levels of sex and growth hormones, as well as insulin, which can spark growth factors that allow cancer cells to proliferate. And there some fattening foods, such as processed meats like sausage and bacon, that have been independently linked to cancer risk.
This latest study should serve as a warning that if the obesity epidemic continues, there may be a stark increase of cancers related back to excess weight gain. Doctors and other healthcare providers should see these results from this study as an alarm for assessing young adults’ body mass index and if elevated, to refer them for weight loss counseling. The cancer-obesity issue is an important topic since the obesity crisis has been going on now for decades. Just like the rate of diabetes rose as obesity increased in the U.S., this might be a precursor to something similar with respect to certain cancers. Being more proactive for screening and helping patients prevent obesity is a start to this problem.