Obesitye People have a higher risk of cancer

Obesity has overtaken smoking as the leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States and is responsible for 600,000 cancer deaths each year. Cancer is caused by genetic errors in protein synthesis, resulting in abnormal cell growth that often spreads to other parts of the body. Normal cells can correct sequencing errors in the DNA. Cancer develops when these safety mechanisms do not function properly.

Obesity impairs intercellular signaling, resulting in genetic errors in protein synthesis and abnormal cell development.

Anabolic hormones such as insulin and IGF-1, whose levels increase with obesity, promote progression to early stages of cancer development. Esophageal cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer are particularly sensitive to metabolic changes caused by obesity.

Fortunately, even modest weight loss can cause metabolic changes that reduce the risk of these cancers.

(The Scientist, November 2015)