Why the link between too much weight and cancer?

We have already seen in many blogs the relationship of too much weight and cancer.  Remember the NHS results of women >50 years followed for 24 years? I invite you to review here http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2011/04/breast-cancer-and-weight.html, but the long and short of it: for every one pound gained and kept there was 1% more breast cancer, but for every one pound lost and kept off there were 2% fewer breast cancers.  


Now we may be closing in on the reason.  A significant amount of research points toward inflammation as the mechanism causing overweight or obese and sedentary women to have more cancers, including breast cancer.


More information comes from a recent randomized controlled trial from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/9/2314.abstract?sid=3b3200b3-3ad5-4de1-81bc-7a09c30c19f8.  They randomized >400 women for a one year study and amazingly only one woman dropped out.  They measured C-reactive protein and other biomarkers of inflammation at the beginning and at one year.  The four groups were:

1. caloric restriction with a goal of losing 10% of body weight
2. moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise 225 minutes/week
3. both diet and exercise
4. control group

The results at one year were impressive for reduction in all inflammatory biomarkers in the diet and exercise groups.  They saw the greatest reduction of C-reactive protein and the other markers in the the diet (lost and kept off 5%) and exercise group.  Diet and exercise caused a 42% reduction in the inflammatory biomarkers.  Caloric restriction alone was next in benefit.

Imagine, >40% reduction in inflammatory biomarkers with only 8 pounds lost and kept off for someone who weighed 160 pounds!

Think of the potential significance for cancer reduction!

Together we can prevent 75,000 breast cancer cases each year!