Females with the body figure often described as "apple shaped" appear to be at double the risk of some cancers, according to new research.
Over a period of eight years, the study showed that women put in the category with high belly fat were twice as likely to be diagnosed with womb cancer. Scientists analysed data on almost 400,000 UK adults – and the results included research on the amount of visceral fat around the female waist. The findings by Glasgow University also showed visceral fat increased the risk of gallbladder cancer by 83%, kidney cancer by 39%, liver cancer by 25%, colorectal cancer by 14% and breast cancer by 11%.
The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity at Maastricht, in the Netherlands. The lead author, Dr Carlos Ceris, told the Mirror : “We know this particular type of fat that you tend to get around your belly is particularly bad. It is the fat that builds around your internal organs. That means it has more of a straining effect on them. This fat is generating inflammatory markers and it is this inflammation that contributes to causing cancers in the long term. The NHS and health systems could do more to flag up this increased risk [linked to visceral fat] to patients.”
