Americans are known to be much more obese and overweight than any other country. After all, Americans are known to love their burgers and fries from greasy food chains. Many are aware that being overweight or obese is not healthy, but often do not realize the extent of how unhealthy it really is. It is likely that while you are increasing your waistline, you are also increasing your risk of cancer.
According to Reuters Health, new research has shown that being overweight during early adulthood will increase the risk of experiencing pancreatic cancer. In adulthood, those who are overweight are more difficult to diagnose and as a result, may be less likely to survive from pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Donghui Li said that the research also found that “Being overweight or obese at younger age had a stronger association with pancreatic cancer risk than did subsequent weight gain at an older age.”
The study consisted of 841 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and a control group of 754 subjects who did not have cancer. The patients were matched by age, race, and gender. During personal interviews with the subjects, researchers recorded height and weight.
What the research found was that the subjects who were overweight between 14 and 39 or obese between 20 and 49 had a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Subjects who became overweight or obese after 40 were less likely to experience this form of cancer and if they became overweight or obese after 50, it did not play a significant role in their likelihood of developing it.
The research also found that the association between pancreatic cancer and being overweight or obese was greater among men than it was among women. It was also higher among smokers or former smokers than it was among non-smokers.
Among subjects who became overweight or obese at a later age, survival time was shorter than subjects who were at normal weights. Among those who were at a normal weight, the average survival time was 18 months after pancreatic cancer had been diagnosed. Subjects who became overweight or obese at a later age had an average survival time of 15 months.
This study just proves that being at a normal weight does have many health benefits. Being overweight or obese is known to contribute to many different forms of cancer, as well as diseases, such as diabetes. According to Reuter’s Health, an editorial that was written by several doctors, from the Mayo Clinic, says that the research supports, “increased weight or obesity is associated with acceleration of the disease process — from the risk of developing cancer to its ultimate outcome - and may provide biological insight into why pancreatic cancer portends such a poor prognosis.”
