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64 / Health Issues Caused by Obesity
As with the other cancers we have discussed thus far, however, the reason
excess weight influences these
carcinomas
is not yet understood. One the-
ory proposes that the increased cancer risk may be linked to gastric reflux.
Gastric reflux, also called acid reflux, occurs when digestive fluids back up
out of the stomach and into the esophagus. This acid overflow can cause
symptoms like a burning sensation in the upper abdomen, chest, and/or
back (also known as heartburn), burning in the throat, sour taste in the
mouth, and belching. When stomach acid backs up, it damages the delicate
tissues that line the esophagus (hence the burning sensation). Many
researchers believe that this damage, if repeated over time, may eventually
cause cancer. Being overweight or obese increases one’s likelihood of devel-
oping acid reflux because the extra weight puts pressure on the stomach,
constricting its size and pushing fluid up into the esophagus. Many
researchers thus conclude that this increased tendency for acid reflux also
explains the increased esophageal cancer rates in overweight and obese men
and women.
Other Cancers
Breast, colorectal, and esophageal are probably the
three most common cancers impacted by obesity. But
other types of cancer seem to be influenced as well.
Here is a partial list of these cancers and their respec-
tive statistics. All facts come from the American
Cancer Society or the NCI.
Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer
•
Women suffering from obesity have two to four times the probabil-
ity of developing this type of cancer than women with normal BMIs.
•
Body size is a risk factor regardless of where the fat is concentrated.
•
Obesity accounts for about 40 percent of endometrial cancer cases.