Obesity and Cancer
Increased cancer risk is associated with overweight and obesity.
Excess accumulation of adipose tissue in obesity disrupts energy storage and the cancer cells utilize the free fatty acids to stimulate the growth. Adipose tissue dysfunction also may lead to inflammation and altered hormone production.
Inflammation and oxidative stress are also stimulated by obesity-associated depletion of gut commensal bacteria species (eg, Akkermansia muciniphila) and overgrowth of bacterial populations associated with cancer development in preclinical models (eg, Bilophila).
Patients who lost 10% of body weight through therapeutic interventions had modest reductions in obesity-associated cancer incidence.
