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Obesity Linked to Gastrointestinal Cancers
Obesity increases the risk of gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal and noncolorectal GI cancer. New research shows that people who are overweight or obese in early and middle adulthood, or who either fail to lose weight or gain more weight, have an increased risk of the disease. Aspirin, which has been thought to reduce risk, was not found to be beneficial.1 Whole food, plant-based diets can help reduce body mass index,2 and plant-based foods like legumes are linked to reduced risk.3
References
- Loomans-Kropp HA, Umar A. Analysis of body mass index in early and middle adulthood and estimated risk of gastrointestinal cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6:(5): e2310002. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.10002
- Moore WJ, McGrievy ME, Turner-McGrievy GM. Dietary adherence and acceptability of five different diets, including vegan and vegetarian diets, for weight loss: The New DIETs study. Eat Behav. 2015;19:33-38. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.06.011
- Zhu B, Sun Y, Qi L, Zhong R, Miao X. Dietary legume consumption reduces risk of colorectal cancer: evidence from a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Sci Rep. 2015;5:8797. doi:10.1038/srep08797
