As of: March 7, 2024, 10:29 a.m
By: Natalie Hull-Deichsel
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Not only alcohol and smoking, but also unhealthy obesity can promote the development of tumors.
Which types of cancer have the highest risk?
According to the
World Health Organization (WHO)
and the
German Cancer Research Center
, cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide, killing around 8.2 million people every year.
In Germany alone, it is assumed that over 35 percent of malignant tumors can be traced back to the effects of an unhealthy diet and unhealthy overweight or obesity.
While many people are now aware of tobacco and alcohol consumption as a risk factor for cancer, many do not know that being overweight - especially obesity - can also promote the development of a malignant tumor.
Three factors contribute significantly to the fact that being overweight increases the risk of cancer.
Increased risk of cancer due to obesity: Which carcinomas are promoted by fat
Fat cells in the body, especially in the abdominal cavity, produce increased amounts of messenger substances that promote chronic inflammation and cell changes - such as those responsible for cancer.
© CHROMORANGE/Imago
There are numerous studies that look at the connection between body weight and the occurrence of various types of cancer, including the study on the correlation of obesity with breast cancer - especially after menopause, which
was published in the journal
Springer Nature's Oncology .
According to the
WHO
, in addition to breast cancer , twelve other types of cancer can be promoted by obesity:
Pancreatic cancer
Colon and rectal cancer
Stomach cancer
Gallbladder cancer
Liver cancer
Kidney cancer
Thyroid cancer
esophageal cancer
Ovarian cancer
Uterine cancer
Meningeal tumor (meningioma)
Multiple myeloma
Overweight and obesity do not play an equally important role in all types of cancer.
For example, obesity is responsible for about 40 percent of kidney tumors and more than 40 percent of esophageal adenocarcinomas, while for breast or colon cancer it is about 15 to 20 percent.
The effect of obesity on the individual risk of cancer also depends on age and gender.
Scientific data also confirms that as the level of obesity increases, the risk of cancer also increases significantly.
How high is the individual risk of cancer?
Cancer is usually the result of a combination of factors and is rarely attributed to a single factor such as being overweight.
Often several factors interact with each other and cancer can develop by chance.
Therefore, people with a healthy body weight can also develop cancer, but their individual risk is usually lower than for people who are very overweight, according to the
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
.
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According to the DKFZ,
three decisive factors can
promote the development of malignant tumors:
If there is too much fatty tissue in the body, especially in the abdominal cavity, more messenger substances are produced that
promote
chronic inflammation and cell changes , such as those that occur in cancer.
Fat cells in the body produce the sex hormone estrogen.
This has a growth-promoting effect.
If there is an excess of fat cells, there is an increased
production of estrogen
, which can also promote the cell growth of cancer cells.
Overweight people consistently produce
more insulin
compared to people of normal weight.
If levels are too high, insulin can lead to increased cancer cell growth.
A healthy body weight, a balanced diet as well as exercise and sport can significantly reduce your personal risk of cancer, emphasizes the
German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about medical conditions.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.