Research has long linked obesity to such negative health conditions as high blood pressure, sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. One commonly overlooked, yet very serious, risk of obesity is cancer. A pivotal study released in 2003 followed more than 900,000 adults for sixteen years¹. When these men and women were enrolled in the study they were cancer free, but over the duration of the study, more than 50,000 cancer deaths occurred. The study concluded that those with a body mass index of 40 or more, those considered morbidly obese, had death rates from all cancers that were 52% higher for men and 62% higher for women compared to people of normal weight. Based on this data, the researchers estimated that 14 percent of all deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of those in women could be directly linked to obesity. Obesity related cancers include esophagus, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas and kidney cancers. For women, there is also an increased rate of breast, uterus and other gynecologic cancers.

Seven years have passed since the publication of that study and much headway has been made in the treatment and prevention of obesity in the United States. Although the obese population continues to climb, options such as weight loss surgery and medically supervised diets are widely available. This June, the Journal of the American College of Surgeons published a report that bariatric surgery appears to decrease the risk of cancer in obese women.

The study followed 1,482 severely obese (BMI over 30) women who had undergone bariatric surgery and compared them to a group of severely obese women who had not undergone surgery. Although the results of the study were not conclusive, the obese women who did not have surgery had a significantly higher cancer diagnosis². These findings may be the first step toward bariatric surgery being a preventative treatment for obesity related cancers.

Certainly more research needs to be done to evaluate the numerous factors contributing to weight loss. Still, for the morbidly obese, weight loss surgery, such gastric bypass or laparoscopic gastric banding, has proven to be a more effective means of weight loss than diet and exercise alone.

1. EE Callee, C Rodriguez, K Walker-Thurmond, M Thun Overweight, Obesity and Mortality from Canter in a Prospectively Studied Cohort of U.S. Adults, NEJM 348: 1625-1638, April 24, 2003, No. 17
2. Cancer in Obese Women: Potential Protective Impact of Bariatric Surgery, 17 April 2009

The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are committed to helping our patients achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight. Whether you are interested in weight loss surgery or medically supervised weight loss counseling, we can help you take control of your eating and your weight. Join us for a free seminar or take a weight loss quiz to help you get started.