Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Obesity-Related Cancers Strike Younger People


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Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/ByXQXvIfwRg

 

The obesity epidemic is triggering cancer in ever-younger Americans.  Epidemiologists from Case Western Reserve University studied cancers, both obesity-related and non-related, that were documented in the worldwide SEER18 database over the first 16 years of the 21st century.  They focused on the age of the cancers at diagnosis.

 

The data included some 6 million cancers.  While the incidence of cancer either remained the same or diminished in the 20 to 49 year and the 65 or older age groups, it increased for those in the 50 to 64 year age group.  In this group, the occurrence of obesity-related cancers was significantly higher than that for non-obesity related cancers.

 

The obesity-related cancers are gastrointestinal at all sites, breast, ovarian, kidney, thyroid, and myeloma.   Avoidance of these devastating cancers as well as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke is the reward for keeping your weight in a healthy range by moderation in eating and exercise.

 

Koroukian SM, Dong W, Berger NA. Changes in Age Distribution of Obesity-Associated Cancers. JAMA Netw Open. Published online August 14, 20192(8):e199261. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9261.

 

#Obesity #cancer #middleage 

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Dr. Howard Smith ReportsBy Howard G. Smith MD, AM