Eating Disorders Blog

Obese patients with kidney tumors are 48 percent more likely to develop clear-cell renal cell cancer (RCC) than patients with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 30. In addition, the odds of developing clear-cell RCC increase by 4 percent with every extra BMI point.

These findings come from a study conducted by a research team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The study included data collected from 1,640 patients with kidney tumors. Approximately 88 percent of the participants had malignant tumors, and 61 percent of these were clear-cell RCC. Researchers found a substantial association between obesity and the risk for developing clear-cell RCC.

Lead author William T. Lowrance commented on the findings: "A number of studies have suggested that obesity could be a risk factor for RCC, but the exact reason is unknown. Researchers suggest it might be secondary to hormonal changes, decreased immune function, hypertension or diabetes in obese patients.

"Although we still need to find out more about the pathology of clear-cell RCC, this study is useful as it provides individual predictors of the chance of developing this form of cancer. Of these, obesity provides the strongest association."

(Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: obesity, cancer

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According to health experts, obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer every year in the United States. Based on this fact, experts worry that as obesity rates continue to climb, so will cancer rates. Cancer is currently the second-leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease, and approximately 1.4 million people are projected to be diagnosed this year.

According to a new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research, maintaining a healthy weight could reduce cases of breast cancer by 17 percent, or approximately 33,000 people. The institute also estimates that maintaining a healthy weight could reduce the incidence of endometrial cancers by one-half, esophageal cancers by one-third, pancreatic and kidney cancers by one-quarter, gallbladder cancers by one-fifth, and colon cancer by one-tenth.

Hillary Wright, a nutritionist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, commented: "The most beneficial thing a woman can do to help prevent breast cancer or help it from recurring is to work on keeping her weight under control and exercising."

(Source: wbctv.com)

Labels: obesity, cancer, healthy-weight

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Approximately 50 percent of patients with a new cancer diagnosis and up to 70 percent of patients with advanced cancers may experience anorexia. A new study by Rudolph M. Navari, director of the University of Notre Dame's Walther Cancer Research Center, and Marie C. Brenner, a Notre Dame graduate who is a student at Loyola University Medical School in Chicago, indicates that a combination of two drugs shows promise in treating cancer-related anorexia (CRA). The researchers found that combining Olanzapine (Zyprexa) with megestrol acetate (MA) has resulted in weight gain for some patients suffering from CRA.

(Source: google.com/hostednews)

Labels: anorexia, cancer

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Researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute have found a link between a high-fat diet and pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer, which has a high fatality rate, is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Rachael Z. Stolzenberg-Solomon, from the institute's cancer epidemiology and genetics division, commented on the findings, saying that the new study "found an association between high fat intake and pancreatic cancer risk - specifically, high fat from animal foods. ... These findings are in line with the dietary guidelines for Americans to reduce the amount of fat they eat. ... Reducing fat may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer."

The study incorporated data on more than half a million people (approximately 308,000 men and 217,000 women) who participated in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Participants initially completed a questionnaire in 1995 and 1996, and then participated in an average of six years of follow-up.

Researchers found that men who ate the most fat from animal sources were 53 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, compared with men who ate the least fat. In addition, women who consumed the most fat from animal sources had a 23 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to women who ate the least fat. Overall, people who consumed high amounts of saturated fats had a 36 percent higher risk for pancreatic cancer.

Eric J. Jacobs, strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology at the American Cancer Society, commented on the findings, saying that the study "provides important evidence that a diet high in animal fat may increase risk of one of the leading causes of cancer death. ... While further confirmatory research about animal fat and pancreatic cancer is still needed, results of this study support the American Cancer Society's recommendations to limit red meat and emphasize plant foods to help reduce risk of a variety of cancers."

(Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: eating disorder, cancer, food

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A new study shows that obesity significantly increases a woman's risk of developing endometrial cancer, especially if she undergoes early menopause. Endometrial cancer forms in the tissue lining the uterus. The study, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will appear in the July issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Researchers found that women with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 who were 45 at the time of their last menstrual cycle were 22 times as likely to develop endometrial cancers as their normal-weight peers. Cheryll C. Thomas, study author and an epidemiologist at the CDC, commented: "In this young population, the risk of endometrial cancer increased dramatically if they had a BMI greater than 25."
The study also found that women who had a BMI above 35 and were older than 45 during their last menstrual period were almost four times as likely to develop endometrial cancer, and women who had a BMI of at least 25 who were under 45 were six times more likely to develop endometrial cancer.

Dr. Diane Yamada, section chief for gynecologic oncology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, responded to the study's findings: "People have to be very aware that obesity not only puts you at risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, but also for cancer. ... Endometrial cancer is just one of multiple reasons to try to get healthier."

(Source: www.forbes.com)

Labels: obesity, cancer

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