40% Of Cancers Diagnosed In U.S. Related To Obesity, CDC Says
Add cancer to the many good reasons to strive for a healthy weight
The rates of 12 obesity-related cancers rose by 7 per cent from 2005 to 2014, an increase that is threatening to reverse progress in reducing the rate of cancer in the United States, U.S. health officials say.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 630,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with a cancer linked with being overweight or obese in 2014.
Obesity-related cancers accounted for about 40 per cent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2014. Although the overall rate of new cancer diagnoses has fallen since the 1990s, rates of obesity-related cancers have been rising.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 13 cancers are associated with overweight and obesity.
They include:
Cancers not associated with overweight and obesity fell by 13 per cent.
About half of Americans are not aware of this link, according to Schuchat. The findings suggest that U.S. healthcare providers need to make clear to patients the link between obesity and cancer, and encourage patients to achieve a healthy weight.
What is clear is that obesity can raise an individual's risk of cancer, and that risk may be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, Schuchat said Tuesday.
The rates of 12 obesity-related cancers rose by 7 per cent from 2005 to 2014, an increase that is threatening to reverse progress in reducing the rate of cancer in the United States, U.S. health officials say.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 630,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with a cancer linked with being overweight or obese in 2014.
Obesity-related cancers accounted for about 40 per cent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2014. Although the overall rate of new cancer diagnoses has fallen since the 1990s, rates of obesity-related cancers have been rising.
"Today's report shows in some cancers we're going in the wrong direction," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC said on a conference call with reporters.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 13 cancers are associated with overweight and obesity.
They include:
- Meningioma.
- Multiple myeloma.
- Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.
- Cancers of the thyroid, postmenopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus and colon and rectum (colorectal).
Cancers not associated with overweight and obesity fell by 13 per cent.
About half of Americans are not aware of this link, according to Schuchat. The findings suggest that U.S. healthcare providers need to make clear to patients the link between obesity and cancer, and encourage patients to achieve a healthy weight.
"The trends we are reporting today are concerning," Schuchat said. "There are many good reasons to strive for a healthy weight. Now you can add cancer to the list."She said the science linking cancer to obesity is still evolving, and it is not yet clear whether losing weight will help individuals once cancer has taken root.
What is clear is that obesity can raise an individual's risk of cancer, and that risk may be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, Schuchat said Tuesday.
Oct 04, 2017
source: www.cbc.ca Reuters
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