OBESITY AS A RISK FACTOR FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER
Nikolaos Tzenios
Abstract
Over the last few decades, the incidence of obesity is increasing which is now recognized as public health issue worldwide. Obesity has been associated with an elevated risk of several types of metabolic syndrome and malignancies. This article reviews the latest evidence on the association between higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and cancer, discovering the essential biological mechanism and pathways such as the interplay of adipokines, cytokines, and growth factors. Furthermore, it provides intuition into the effects of obesity on proliferation and metastasis. In last, it highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to tackle the obesity pandemic including changes in lifestyle and regular cancer to enhance the quality of life.