The incidence of cancers linked to obesity and overweight has increased in recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today, which will rethink the fight against this disease.
The thirteen cancers related to a higher rate of obesity or overweight accounted for 40% of the cases of this disease diagnosed in 2014, according to the Vital Signs Report.
This report “shows us that for some types of cancer, we are going in the wrong direction,” CDC director Brenda Fitzgerald told a news conference.
The researchers found that while there has been a decline in the incidence of the disease since the 1990s in the country, it does not include the types of cancer linked to obesity and overweight.
“Most adult Americans weigh more than recommended and we have seen that being overweight or obese puts people at increased risk for various types of cancer, so these findings are cause for concern,” she said.
The research found that 630,000 people were diagnosed with a type of cancer associated with obesity and overweight in 2014.
“We already know that obesity and overweight is a risk factor for many chronic conditions. With today’s report, it highlights how the increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight is affecting cancers as well,” he said.
According to the CDC, between 2013 and 2014, about two out of three adults in the United States were overweight or obese.
55% of all cancers diagnosed in women and 24% in men are linked to overweight and obesity, the report said.
Although the researchers found disparities between ethnic, racial, gender and age groups, the most significant gap was found in adults aged 50-74, representing two out of three cases of these cancers.
The report found that non-Hispanic whites and African-Americans have a higher incidence rate compared to other ethnic groups.
The prevalence of all cancers related to obesity and overweight experienced a 7% increase between 2005 and 2014, with the exception of colorectal cancer which decreased 23% due to increased screening tests, according to the CDC.
On the other hand, the types of cancer that are not associated with the obesity and the overweight, decreased 13% during the same period.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the 13 types of disease associated with obesity and overweight are: meningioma, multiple myeloma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, and thyroid cancer, postmenopausal sinus, gall bladder, stomach , kidney, liver, pancreas, ovaries, uterus, colon and colorectal.
Prostate, lung, colorectal, and liver are the most common types of cancer among Hispanic men, while among women in this minority are lung, breast and colorectal.
In addition, experts explained that unlike tobacco or other cancer risk factors, there is little awareness of the link between cancer and obesity or overweight.
CDC recommends that health care providers take a more active role in raising awareness about the risk of cancer related to being overweight and obese by informing patients about it and establishing a plan to help them eat healthy and have an active lifestyle for weight loss.
