2016-11-04

Obesity and diabetes causes liver cancer?

A recent study by Cancer Research reveal that obesity and diabetes increases the risks of liver cancer.

Liver cancer is ranked at sixth most common type of cancer, the number of liver cancers has tripled since the 70s in the United States. Liver cancers is mainly due to hepatitis C, NAFLD (non alcoholic fatty liver disease), and NASH. It is often hard to treat because symptoms are vague and it may be spotted too late to be treated effectively.

8% risk increase for every 5cm increase in waist circumference

For the study by Cancer Research, it has collected data from more than 1.5 million participants, and after controlling for age, sex, alcohol use, smoking and race, they found that being overweight increased the relative risk for liver cancer by between 21 percent and 142 percent as BMI increased. The risk of getting liver cancer rises by around 8% for every 5cm increase in waist circumference, even after controlling for BMI. And those with Type 2 diabetes had more than double the risk of liver cancer, even among the non-obese. One UK expert is calling for a shift in attitude so that obesity is seen as a red flag for having a higher risk of liver cancer.

Although the risk of liver cancer does not increases for hepatitis patients, it does increase significantly for those who does not have hepatitis. “This study underscores that the parallel increase in obesity is part of the increase in liver cancer rates,” said the lead author, Peter T. Campbell, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society. “Now we have to accept the fact that obesity and Type 2 diabetes are strongly associated with liver cancer.”

Not a big surprise

The relationship of obesity and diabetes to liver cancer should not come as a surprise to us, for many years we know that fatty liver or NASH, could significantly increase the risk of liver cancer anyway, for which is the direct results of obesity, and so as type II diabetes. The main questions and concerns to us is how we can prevent and avoid liver cancer.

Don't miss the point

When we talk about liver cancer, we must focus on what goes on to our liver when we are obese or have fatty liver; which is the damage of liver cells. Damage of liver cells can be caused by different reasons, and it can directly affects our liver function, more importantly, this is the ultimate reasons for the increase risk of liver cancer. Liver cancer do not just happened because you are obese or have diabetes, it happens because the fat accumulates in the liver is causing chronic liver cells injury. There are many different reasons that could cause liver cancer, if we do not focus on the direct issue; which is liver cells injury, it will be extreamly hard to reduce the number of liver cancer cases.

To avoid liver cancer from obesity or diabetes is to control weight, and live a healthy lifestyle. But to avoid liver cancer alone, we must protects our liver cells, and avoid liver cells damages.

Reference:

Disclaimer:

* All research and clinical data should be used as reference purposes only, results may vary.

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