Losing weight significantly reduces the levels of proteins in the blood that help certain cancerous tumors to grow, according to a study.
Weight loss has many benefits. Some are well known. These include reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, type II diabetes or even bad cholesterol.
Other beneficial effects of diets have been demonstrated more recently. This is the case of the knees which in this case are protected against osteoarthritis and psoriasis, the symptoms of which would decrease. And this Tuesday, this list is growing.
In the review Cancer Research, American researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle indicate that losing weight would also limit the risk of developing certain cancers.
Their work claim that losing fat lowers the level of proteins that can promote tumor-related angiogenesis. That is to say, the formation of the blood vessels that supply them and allow them to develop.
Improve the angiogenic profile
To reach this conclusion, these scientists followed 439 healthy women divided into four distinct groups: those in the first group had to follow a calorie-restricted diet, the participants in the second group performed aerobic exercises five days a week, those in the third group followed these two methods; finally, the other volunteers formed the control group.
The results show that women who dieted and those who combined exercise and diet lost more weight than others. More importantly, they exhibited “significantly lower” levels of angiogenesis-related proteins. “This study shows that losing weight can be a safe and effective way to improve the ‘angiogenic profile’ of healthy individuals, which means they have lower blood levels of cancer-promoting proteins,” explains the Dr Catherine Duggan, lead author of the study.
Risk of developing a recurrence
Not so surprisingly, theNational Cancer Institute (INCa) reminds us that overweight and obesity are recognized as risk factors for developing certain types of cancer (esophagus, pancreas, colorectal, etc.). He estimates that 2,300 deaths were caused by excess weight in 2000 in France. “In view of the increase in overweight and obesity since this period, this figure is certainly underestimated today”, specified the Institute.
He also concluded, “that after cancer, overweight and obesity increase the risk of mortality, as well as that of developing a recurrence or another cancer”.
.
