Irving, TX – As obesity reaches epidemic proportions in both adults and children, researchers are uncovering troubling links between weight and life-limiting diseases. A recent study has uncovered a connection between childhood obesity and an increased risk of colorectal cancer in men.

“With diabetes, heart disease and a number of other weight-related cancers already posing increased risks for men and women who are obese, the latest study simply sheds more light on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at the Las Colinas Cancer Center. “Childhood obesity is fast becoming a major problem in the United States with complications and consequences that may very well linger well into adulthood.”

To arrive at their findings, researchers in Sweden followed a group of young men for 35 years. A total of 240,000 subjects were involved in the study. Of this group, about 885 men were diagnosed with colorectal cancer during the years of follow-up. Some 501 cases of colon cancer were evidenced while 384 cases of rectal cancer were found. Researchers found that study participants who were obese in their adolescent years had a 2.38-fold higher risk of developing colorectal cancer later in life. Inflammation associated with a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate also produced a 63 percent higher risk.

“Gaining control of weight and maintaining losses may improve health in a host of ways, including preventing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and a variety of cancers,” Dr. Echt says. “Tackling weight issues while young, as it turns out, may also help boys avoid colorectal cancer as they become men.”

People who are overweight are urged to discuss options with their healthcare providers. When routine diet and exercise don’t have an impact, other highly effective alternatives exist to promote weight loss in a safe and healthy manner.

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At Las Colinas Cancer Center, a Choice Cancer Care Treatment Center, our team is committed to providing the personalized, compassionate treatment that can make all the difference in cancer care.