The problem with being overweight is it can put you at risk of developing all sorts of medical conditions, many of which are very serious. They include type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, stroke and heart disease. Did you know that obesity may also increase your risk of battling cancer one day?
If you like to know why being overweight may leave you facing deadly cancer in the future, keep on reading. Below you will come across the reasons for such. Kindly repost this article afterwards to let everyone you care about know just how really serious obesity is.
First Things First
Just because you are overweight doesn’t necessarily mean that you should gear up for a future life with cancer. Being obese is just a risk factor for cancer, and not something that is sure to cause cancer. If that were true, then every overweight person on the planet would have cancer.
However, your chance of having cancer is greater if you’re obese than if you have a more ideal weight. It’s also important to also take into consideration that there are many other risk factors for cancer such as the genes, age, sun exposure, radiation exposure, tobacco use and alcohol consumption.
It’s Not Just Flab That Fat Cells Can Cause
Refrain from assuming that all of those extra fat cells in your body do nothing but give you curve in the wrong places. According to health authorities, those unnecessary fat cells are active. This means that they are actually sending out signals that your body willingly accepts.
Generally speaking, those signals can cause the cells of your body to multiply at a much faster rate than normal. If there’s one very unique characteristic of cancer cells, it’s that they divide rapidly. This is exactly the reason why cancer easily grows and spreads to neighboring areas if not detected and treated promptly.
They Also Cause Inflammation
Experts say that immune cells like to go to areas of the body where there are plenty of fat cells available. And when immune cells are around, inflammation takes place. Actually, inflammation is a good thing because it is necessary for healing. Without it, healing won’t transpire.
However, it’s a different story if inflammation is taking place even if it’s not necessary. Such is the case of inflammation as a result of abundance in fat cells. Some chemicals are released by those immune cells, causing cells to divide rapidly and increase cancer formation.
Certain Hormones are Released, Too
What’s weird about fat cells is that they can actually produce estrogen. So the more fat cells there are in your body, the higher the estrogen levels. The problem with having lots and lots of estrogen is it can encourage certain cells in the body to multiply quickly, like those in the womb and breasts.
Scientists say that those fat cells can also cause the levels of growth factors and insulin to increase, which can encourage certain cells to multiply at an accelerated pace. At times, too, those extra fat cells assist in regulating processes that regulate the growth of cancer cells.
The Location of Excess Fat Cells Matters
Health authorities say that the location of unwanted fat cells can determine which types of cancer may strike in the future. They confirm that fat cells situated in the midsection are the kinds that can do more damage. It is believed that hormones released by those fat cells get to the blood faster.
Studies have shown that individuals who exhibit the apple shape (the arms and legs are thin but the midsection has a lot of excess weight) are at higher risk of battling esophageal, pancreatic, bowel, kidney and breast cancer in the future.
