Overweight people much more likely to die from cancer

By Jim Leffman via SWNS

Overweight people are three and a half times more likely to die from cancer than those who have had weight-loss surgery, a new study reveals.

And they are twice as likely to develop certain types of cancer than those who have gone under the knife.

The findings presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Annual Meeting showed that the 10-year survival rate was a much higher 92.9% than the non-surgical group's 78.9%.

The 10-year incidence of new cancer in the surgery group was also a much lower 5.2% compared to the 12.2% suffered by those who had not had surgery.

Big reductions in gynecological cancers, as well as breast, lung, thyroid, kidney and brain cancer, were also reported.

The study included 1,620 patients who had either gastric bypass surgery or sleeve gastrectomy between September 2001 and December 2019 matched to 2,156 patients who did not have surgery.

Surgery patients lost about 60% of their excess weight within 10 years.

Study co-author Dr. Jared Miller bariatric surgeon at Gundersen Lutheran Health System in Wisconsin, US said: "We knew bariatric surgery would reduce cancer risk based on previous studies, but what surprised us was the extent of that reduction in certain cancers.

“The benefits of cancer risk reduction through weight-loss surgery cannot be ignored and should be a consideration for patients with obesity and at high risk for cancer.”

Being overweight or obese can cause inflammation and high insulin levels, both of which are thought to contribute to cancers forming.

In fact the longer you are fat, the higher the risk.

From 2005 to 2014 in the US most cancers associated with being overweight or obese increased by 7%, while the rate of new cancers not associated with excess weight dropped by 13%.

Dr. Shanu Kothari, President, ASMBS, who was not involved in the study said: "The data continues to mount.

"When you treat obesity, you prevent certain cancers.

"Weight-loss surgery has proven to be the most effective long-term treatment for obesity and now it’s increasingly being looked upon as a preventative treatment, not only for cancer, but heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes too.”

In the US weight-loss surgery is generally reserved for people with severe obesity, which means about 75 to 100 pounds overweight or having a BMI of 35 or higher with an obesity-related disease.

Obesity is linked to early death and more than 40 diseases including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis and at least 13 different types of cancer.

According to the ASMBS, less than 1% of those eligible for weight-loss surgery currently have it in any given year. About 256,000 bariatric surgeries were performed in 2019, the latest estimates available.