Overweight or obesity exacerbate the harmful effects of alcohol on the risk of developing various cancers, especially in people with a high percentage of body fat, suggests new research presented at this year’s European Obesity Congress (ECO) in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
The study was conducted on almost 400 thousand British adults by team Dr. Elif Inan-Eroglu of the University of Sydney in Australia and is the first to be analyzed impact of obesity (percentage of body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index – BMI) and alcohol consumption together on cancer riskknown to be favored by alcohol consumption and obesity.
“Our results suggest that obese people, especially those with excess body fat, need to be more aware of the dangers of alcohol consumption Dr. Inan-Eroglu pointed out. “When it comes to lifestyle factors and habits that people can change to reduce cancer risk, obesity and alcohol top the list.”
Worldwide, 4 percent. (741) new cancer cases in 300 were associated with alcohol consumption, and overweight and obesity are linked to a higher risk of 13 types of cancer, accounting for over 40% of the population. all cancers diagnosed in the USA. According to estimates, more than half of the cancers are potentially preventable – alcohol is the third most common cause, behind tobacco and preventable obesity.
The researchers combined the data of 399 participants (575-40 years old; 69% women) from the prospective British Biobank cohort who were cancer-free at the start of the study. They were followed for an average of 55 years.
The participants were divided into three groups according to the percentage of body fat, waist circumference and (BMI) and classified based on reported alcohol consumption based on UK guidelines (non-drinkers, consuming 14 units or less of alcohol per week, and those who drink more than 14 units per week). The risk of developing 21 different types of cancer (13 obesity-related and 8 alcohol-related) was studied.
The results were adjusted for factors such as age, gender, diet, education level, physical activity, smoking, sleep time, socioeconomic status, and existing cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.
During an average follow-up of 12 years, 17 participants were diagnosed with alcohol-related cancer and 617 participants with obesity-related cancer.
People with higher percentages of body fat who drank more than recommended by the guidelines were more likely to develop cancer.
For example, those with the highest percentage of body fat who drank according to recommended guidelines were down 53 percent. more vulnerable to the development of an alcohol-related tumor than those with the lowest body fat percentages who have never drunk. In contrast, drinking in the most obese group above the recommended level increased the risk by 61%.
Regardless of alcohol consumption analysis showed a dose-dependent association between higher waist circumference and obesity-related cancer riskand. For example, people with large waistlines who drank more than the recommended alcohol guidelines had 17 percent. greater risk of developing the disease compared with people with normal waist circumference who have never drunk. People with the largest waist circumference who drank too much alcohol had a 28 percent risk. higher.
‘More research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying this combined effect of alcohol consumption and obesity on cancer risk,’ said Dr Inan-Eroglu. Alcohol drinking guidelines must recognize that two-thirds of the UK adult population is overweight or obese and consider specific recommendations to raise public awareness of the link between alcohol and cancer risk in this group. From the point of view of cancer prevention, the safest level of alcohol consumption is to avoid it altogether. ‘
The authors acknowledge that this is an observational study and is not based on a representative sample of the adult UK population.
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Author: Paweł Wernicki