25^th Global Obesity Meeting

Obesity and Cancer

Extra fat in the body might have harmful effects, like producing hormones and growth factors that have an effect on the way our cells work. Fat cells also can attract immune cells to body tissues which release chemicals that cause long-lasting inflammation. this can raise the chance of many diseases as well as cancer. People with obesity have chronic low-level or sub-acute unresolved inflammation, which is associated with increased cancer risk. One of the strongest links between obesity and cancer is an increased risk of breast and uterus cancers in ladies who are obese after the menopause, and this relates to higher estrogen levels. Overweight people usually have enlarged levels of hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 which can result in the development of certain tumors. Fat tissue (also called adipose tissue) produces excess amounts of estrogen, high levels of which have been associated with increased risks of breast, endometrial, ovarian, and some other cancers.