Overweight children who manage to lose weight in adulthood are less at risk than those who remain overweight, according to a Danish study.
Childhood, a key period for prevention? This is what a study carried out by the Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen (Denmark) suggests. Presented at the last European Congress on Obesity, held at the end of May in Porto (Portugal), it shows that overweight boys are more at risk of colon cancer later in life.
For this work, the researchers followed 61,000 young Danes for more than 25 years, focusing on their state of health and changes in their BMI. And the results argue in favor of regular weight control, while leaving room for error.
Unsurprisingly, boys who were and remain overweight by age 7 are at greatest risk of developing colon cancer. The probability is doubled compared to those with normal weight. But this is not inevitable.
Among the study participants, those who regained normal weight in adulthood were exposed to the same risk of colon cancer as those who have always had a BMI below 25, so a build considered in the norm.
Many risks
This association between colon cancer and overweight is well known, and is the subject of regular prevention campaigns. These results confirm the value of early management of excess weight. Because the National Cancer Institute (INCa) reminds us: “Obesity in children is likely to persist into adulthood”.
But paradoxically, being overweight can also reduce the risk of death from colorectal cancer. A recent study showed this in the JAMA Oncology. Compared to people who are obese or of normal weight, those with a BMI between 25 and 30 are half the risk of dying.
A paradox that is difficult to explain and which should not encourage relaxation. Because overweight is responsible for many other cancers and chronic diseases that are often fatal. Each year, 4 million people die from the effects of being overweight.
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