MADRID, 14 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Obesity-related cancer deaths are improving, but at a slower rate, according to a study by the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina in the United States that, on the other hand, shows that rates of cancer mortality rates have dropped dramatically in the United States
According to mortality data for 50 million people, deaths from cancers not associated with obesity, that is, lung cancer and skin cancer, among others, are decreasing at a rate almost three times faster than cancers related to obesity, such as stomach, colorectal and uterine, thyroid and postmenopausal breast cancer.
“These are cancers in which we could see even greater mortality improvements with creative and practical tools to combat obesity,” said study lead author Hazel B. Nichols, an associate professor at the Department. In a study published May 10. at JAMA Network Open, the researchers showed that
In the study, published in ‘JAMA Network Open’, the researchers note that most Americans weigh more than recommended and being overweight or obese puts them at risk for certain types of cancer. Excess weight can cause changes in the body that help lead to cancer, such as prolonged inflammation and higher-than-normal levels of insulin and hormones that can drive cell growth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. from the USA.
Cancer death rates are one of the best measures researchers use to track cancer progress. The study authors set out to answer whether widespread obesity could halt progress against cancer in the same way that it has with heart disease. Improvements in mortality from heart disease slowed after 2011, and obesity may have contributed to the slowdown.
“What was puzzling was that we didn’t see the same pattern of slower improvements when we looked at cancer in general, which is surprising because obesity contributes to both cancer risk and heart disease risk. When we focus on the differences between cancers related to obesity and non-obesity-related cancers, we saw that improvements in obesity cancers weren’t that impressive, in line with the pattern of heart disease, “says Nichols, who studies cancer trends to improve heart disease. attention.
For example, the study showed that in 2011, 110 out of 100,000 people died from cancers not related to obesity. In 2018, the death rate from these cancers fell to 93.8 deaths per 100,000 people, representing an annual decrease of 2.29%. During the same period, the decline in obesity-related cancers was much slower, from 58.4 to 54.9 deaths per 100,000 people, roughly a third of the rate (0.83%) of cancers not related to obesity.
Additionally, obesity may be contributing to more cancer deaths in the United States. Cancers not associated with obesity accounted for 66.8% of cancer deaths in 1999, declining to 62.6% in 2018, according to the study. The decline in cancer deaths is due to fewer people smoking, along with better screenings and treatments, according to the American Cancer Society.
But the findings of UNC researchers, which include Christy Leigh Avery, an associate professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health specializing in cardiovascular epidemiology and a member of the Carolina Population Center, and Annie Green Howard, an associate professor of biostatistics at Gillings and a member of the Carolina Popular Center, reinforces the effect of obesity on cancer.
“Obesity is a risk factor for many, but not all, types of cancer. We need to make maintaining a healthy weight an achievable goal for everyone in terms of safe public spaces, availability and affordability of nutritious foods and other structural factors. The good news is if we can make these changes as a society, we can improve the health of a nation, “Nichols concludes.
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