Losing weight can lower risk for developing obesity-related cancers
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Key takeaways:
- Adults who had declines in BMI in a real-world setting lowered their odds for developing obesity-related cancers.
- The odds for being diagnosed with any cancer also decreased with weight loss.
ORLANDO — Adults with obesity who reduce their body weight lower their odds for developing an obesity-related cancer, according to data presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions.
“If we are achieving weight loss, we’re reducing the risk of multiple obesity-related cancers and overall cancers,” Kenda Alkwatli, MD, a clinical fellow in the department of quantitative health sciences at Cleveland Clinic, told Healio. “This is a call for action; we need more resources for weight loss, and we need to treat obesity as a chronic disease.”
Researchers conducted a retrospective, observational study with data from 105,472 adults with obesity who had electronic health record data available at Cleveland Clinic from 2000 to 2022. BMI was collected from each participant. Researchers assessed percentage change in BMI in 3-, 5- and 10-years intervals prior to a cancer diagnosis. Inverse probability weighting was conducted to balance the group of adults who were diagnosed with cancer and those who did not have cancer. The primary endpoint was the development of an obesity-related cancer.
“There was some [previously published] data on the reduced risk of cancer with surgical weight loss,” Alkwatli said. “Our aim was to look at if real-world weight loss is associated with risk of developing obesity-related cancer.”
There were 5,329 adults diagnosed with cancer (43% women; median age, 62 years; 84% white; median BMI, 34.25 kg/m2) and 100,143 adults in the control group who did not develop cancer (52% women; median age, 53 years; 78% white; median BMI, 34.5 kg/m2). The prevalence of diabetes was 30% among adults diagnosed with cancer and 21% for the control group.
Each 1 percentage point decrease in BMI over 3 years (OR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.984-0.996; P < .001) and 5 years (OR = 0.989; 95% CI, 0.984-0.995; P < .001) lowered the odds for obesity-related cancer. When individual obesity-related cancers were analyzed, the likelihood for endometrium cancer decreased with each 1 percentage point decline in BMI over 3 years (OR = 0.978; 95% CI, 0.966-0.991; P = .001), 5 years (OR = 0.974; 95% CI, 0.962-0.987; P < .001) and 10 years (OR = 0.973; 95% CI, 0.956-0.99; P = .005). Each 1 percentage point decline in BMI over a 3-year period lowered the odds for esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR = 0.976; 95% CI, 0.959-0.994; P = .012). The odds for multiple myeloma decreased with each 1 percentage point decline in BMI over a 10-year period (OR = 0.969; 95% CI, 0.95-0.987; P = .004). The likelihood for renal cell carcinoma decreased with each 1 percentage point decrease in BMI over a 3-year period (OR = 0.983; 95% CI, 0.971-0.996; P = .022) and over a 5-year period (OR = 0.983; 95% CI, 0.97-0.997; P = .026).
Adults also had lower odds for being diagnosed with any malignant cancer with each 1 percentage point decrease in BMI over a 3-year period (OR = 0.992; 95% CI, 0.989-0.996; P < .001), 5-year period (OR = 0.994; 95% CI, 0.991-0.997; P < .001) and 10-year period (OR = 0.991; 95% CI, 0.987-0.995; P < .001).
Alkwatli said obesity is one of the most preventable risk factors for cancer and the findings show the positive impact weight loss in any form can have on overall health for people with obesity.
“We need more resources for exercise and for diet changes,” Alkwatli said. “We also need more resources to change, on a public level, food deserts and the environment.”
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Alkwatli K, et al. 2071-LB. Presented at: American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions; June 21-24, 2024; Orlando.
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