Obesity increases risk of 18 cancers

In the latest issue of the International Journal of Cancer, Wang Fulu's team, director of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety at Zhejiang University, published a paper that found from big data of 40 million people that obesity increases the risk of 18 types of cancer.

Obese men are more likely to develop colorectal cancer and obese women are more likely to develop brain cancer

Three years ago, Wang Fulu's team began to use BMI as an overweight/obesity measurement indicator, extracted relevant information from 325 relevant prospective cohort research papers, and established a database. The database covers samples of 40 million people, with follow-up periods ranging from 4 to 30 years. Among them, 1,525,052 patients were reported to have onset, involving 23 different types of malignant tumors. Such a large-scale database finally came to the conclusion that "BMI is positively correlated with cancer risk."

It is reported that this study found that the incidence of 18 types of tumors, including endometrial cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma, will increase as people become obese: when the BMI value increases by 5 units, the risk of these 18 types of tumors increases. It will increase accordingly by 2% to 48%. When his BMI increases by 5 units, it means that his weight becomes 85.31 kg. This also means that his risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma increases by 45%, kidney cancer risk increases by 20%, and liver cancer risk increases by 18%...

Researchers also found that the relationship between obesity and cancer is not the same for men and women. Obese men are at a greater risk of colorectal cancer, while obese women are more likely to develop brain cancer and kidney cancer.

Obesity linked to cancer through hormones and diet

Obesity can easily lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc., because obesity increases the burden on the heart, thickens the blood, blocks blood vessels, and disrupts insulin secretion, among other problems. So why does obesity increase the risk of cancer?

"We believe that obesity causes problems with hormone levels in the human body, which in turn causes tumors." Wang Fulu explained, "For example, an increase in BMI leads to the greatest increase in risk of endometrial cancer. Medically, it is believed to be related to estrogen levels, and Obesity can easily cause estrogen secretion disorders in women."

Among these 18 malignant tumors, hormone-related ones include gallbladder cancer, thyroid cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, etc. In addition, esophageal adenocarcinoma, kidney cancer, liver cancer, and gastric cancer are closely related to eating habits and food varieties, and improper diet can also cause obesity problems.

"However, the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of the interaction between obesity and cancer are very complex and are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the relationship between obesity and cancer development and even prognosis are also very important research directions in future medicine and life sciences. Wang Fulu said, "The next research we need to do is whether the risk of these tumors will be reduced accordingly after obese people lose weight."

Losing weight starts with psychology

Dr. Han Haiying from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Some obesity has a certain relationship with personality and psychology. To lose weight, you must first find the source.

People with an owl personality tend to eat more midnight snacks. People with an owl personality have the advantage of being conscientious, responsible, standardized, and striving for excellence. Therefore, they will have some mild obsessive-compulsive symptoms. They want to be more energetic at night, or they force themselves not to sleep even if they are sleepy. This leads to hunger at night and increased appetite. High-calorie foods become the first choice for late-night snacks, and weight gain is an inevitable result. However, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder often do not realize this, making it difficult to lose weight. In addition to avoiding going to bed late, you should also correct your excessive pursuit of perfection in order to relax your tense nerves and avoid obsessive behaviors.

Perfectionism is demanding and easy to regain weight. Some women who are perfectionistic will have extremely high requirements on their weight and body shape, even to the point of being harsh. Strict diet will be the best way for these weight perfectionists to punish themselves. For example, if they eat a few more bites, they will immediately strictly count calories when eating, and even add excessive exercise. However, this kind of punishment will have negative effects. Eating disorders and repeated imbalances will cause endocrine disorders and increase the desire for food. Therefore, overeating and excessive dieting will occur repeatedly.

Therefore, perfectionists must learn to accept their imperfections, especially when it comes to weight. Learn to appreciate other parts of your body and praise your inner qualities, thereby minimizing the focus on weight, which will naturally reduce the punishment on yourself, balance your diet and endocrine, and maintain your weight at a normal level.

Charitable people express their feelings through eating. People who are willing to help others and warm-hearted people are rich in emotions and often want to show their generous and enthusiastic side. However, they suppress their own needs and negative energy cannot be released, so eating becomes the preferred way to express their feelings. Therefore, people who are charitable and charitable are also people who are prone to gain weight. For people with such a personality, don't overly hide your unhappiness, accept your emotional and inner vulnerability, and try to accept the help others give you when you are vulnerable. And if you feel that there is too much negative energy in your heart and you are eager to eat, you can try other ways to relieve it, such as jogging, playing ball, etc.