Women tending towards the higher end of the Body Mass Index (BMI) bear an increased risk of developing ovarian tumors, a recent study has found.
Obesity has previously been tied to a higher incidence of other cancers, including breast, kidney, gallbladder and pancreatic (among others), though a new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has unearthed a previously undetermined link between surplus weight and ovarian cancer. Indeed, the study tracked a marked increase per every five-point leap in BMI, with each interval upping the risk by six percent.
A definite causal relationship between obesity and ovarian cancer remains unconfirmed, despite numbers gleaned from the 25 population-based studies indicating a clear increase in the likelihood of developing tumors. "We can now say with certainty that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, just as it does with a number of other cancers such as breast, bowel and womb cancer," said Dr. Rachel Thompson, the WCRF's head of research and interpretation.
The same report found that approximately 600,000 Americans develop cancers caused by excess weight annually, and has estimated that around 120,000 of those cases could be avoided if everybody was at their optimal weight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a healthy weight sitting between 18.5 and 24.9 on the BMI, while anything between 25 and 30 is deemed overweight. Obesity is determined if the BMI falls at 30 or over.
The findings are instrumental in the prevention of ovarian tumors, with previous causes relegated to immutable factors such as family history of the disease (including presence of the faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes) and even age. Now, with lifestyle noted as a likely culprit, at-risk women can take steps to improve their diet and exercise in a bid to ward off the disease. "This means that women can make lifestyle changes to reduce their chances of getting ovarian cancer. Previously, we only knew about risk factors that are fixed, such as age and family history of the disease, but now we can say that keeping to a healthy weight helps reduce the risk of getting ovarian cancer," said Thompson.
