Obese children are more likely to develop liver cancer in adulthood.
A new study shows that adults who were obese as children have a higher risk of developing liver cancer than the general population.
Researchers examined the birth weight and body mass index (BMI – a measure of obesity based on weight and height) of more than 165,000 men and 160,000 women in Denmark born between 1930 and 1989.
Illustration photo: Internet
Among the participants, 252 had hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer in adults.
The study's authors calculated that at age 7, the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma increases by 12% for every 1-point increase in BMI. By age 13, this risk has increased to 25%.
Therefore, as BMI increases during adulthood, the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma also increases. This is true for both sexes and all ages.
Several other factors are associated with liver cancer, including alcohol consumption, hepatitis B and C viral infections, and other liver diseases. However, the results remained unchanged when participants with these factors were excluded from the study, demonstrating that childhood obesity is a major contributor to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Dr. Frank Lammert, a member of a scientific committee of the European Association for Liver Research, stated: "Childhood obesity not only leads to numerous adverse metabolic conditions such as type two diabetes and heart disease, but also causes fatty liver disease, a condition that can lead to liver cancer."
The study will be presented on April 26th at the International Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain.
According to Vietnam+
