Diabetes, obesity behind 800K cancers worldwide – study

Nearly six percent of new cancers diagnosed worldwide in 2012 – some 800,000 cases – were caused by diabetes and excess weight, according to a study published on Tuesday.

Among the 12 types of cancer examined, the percentage of cases chalked up to these factors was as high as a third, researchers reported in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, a leading medical journal.

Cancers stemming from diabetes and obesity combined was almost twice as common among women as men, the study also found.

And of the two cancer-causing agents, being overweight or obese – above 25 on the body-mass index, or BMI – was responsible for twice as many cancers as diabetes.

The conditions, in reality, are often found together, as obesity is itself a leading risk factor for diabetes.

“While obesity has been associated with cancer for some time, the link between diabetes and cancer has only been established quite recently,” said lead author Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, a clinical research fellow at Imperial College London’s Faculty of Medicine.

“Our study shows that diabetes – either on its own or combined with being overweight – is responsible for hundreds of thousands of cancer cases each year across the world,” he also said.

A surge in both conditions over the last four decades has made the tally significantly worse, the study showed.

The global increase in diabetes between 1980 and 2002 accounted for a quarter of the 800,000 cases, while the obesity epidemic over the same period resulted in an additional 30 percent of cases.

On current trends, the share of cancers attributable to the two conditions is seen to increase by 30 percent for women and 20 percent for men in less than 20 years, the researchers warned.

“In the past, smoking was by far the major risk factor for cancer, but now healthcare professionals should also be aware that patients who have diabetes or are overweight also have an increased risk,” Pearson-Stuttard, said.

For men, obesity and diabetes accounted for a more than 40 percent of liver cancers while for women they were responsible for a third of uterine cancers, and nearly as many cases of breast cancer.

The threshold for obesity is a BMI of 30. BMI is one’s weight in kilos divided by one’s height (in centimeters) squared.

Persons with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered to be overweight.               /kga

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

California students getting fitter with age?

PALO ALTO, California — According to multiple 2015 data sets now available on Kidsdata.org, California students are showing improved fitness outcomes as they age.

First, more students are able to meet physical fitness standards as they rise between 5th, 7th, and 9th grades. In 2015, 26 percent of the state’s 5th graders met all fitness standards, compared with 33 percent of 7th graders and 38 percent of 9th graders. The upward trend was consistent across all races and ethnicities.

Second, younger students showed higher rates of obesity compared with older students. In 2015, 40 percent of 5th graders were overweight or obese, compared with 39 percent of 7th graders and 36 percent of 9th graders.

Overweight and obese children are at higher risk for a range of health problems, including heart disease, stroke, asthma and some types of cancer; they also are more likely to stay overweight or obese as adults.

In addition, children with obesity are at increased risk for joint and bone problems, sleep apnea and social and emotional difficulties, such as stigmatization and low self-esteem.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children and adolescents participate in moderate-to-vigorous exercise at least 60 minutes every day. However, according to a 2014 report (PDF), only about one quarter of youth nationwide get the recommended amount of exercise.

According to experts, policy options that could improve children’s physical activity include ensuring that all schools meet state physical education requirements, making school recreational facilities available for use outside of school hours, and encouraging child care and after-school programs to incorporate physical activity opportunities.

Additional recommendations that would reduce childhood obesity include providing access to affordable healthful foods and beverages, and reducing access to high-calorie and sugar-sweetened drinks and foods.

source: globalnation.inquirer.net