Obesity and Risk of Stomach Cancer

Bacon, booze, and obesity are increasing your risk of stomach cancer: study

A new report out of the American Institute for Cancer Research is warning that all three factors are tied to other cancers too, but it’s the first time research has made this particular link.

Here’s what they found increases the risk of stomach cancer:

• Drinking three or more alcoholic drinks (more than 1.5 ounces of pure alcohol) per day, every day. This risk is most apparent in men, as well as in smokers and ex-smokers.
• Every 1.8 (50 grams) of processed meat eaten per day, day (about the equivalent of a hot dog) increases the risk of lower stomach cancers by 18 percent. The scientists say this finding builds on dozens of studies sounding the alarm on processed meat and colorectal cancer.
• Being overweight or obese is tied to an increased risk of upper stomach cancers. The report suggests a 23 percent increased risk of these cancers for every five-unit-increase in BMI.

“Obesity is now linked to 11 types of cancer and we want people to know there are steps everyone can take for cancer prevention and better health, like eating more vegetables, beans, fruits and other plant foods along with squeezing in a few more steps every day,” Alice Bender, head of nutrition programs at the AICR, said in a statement.

The report is based on 89 studies that zeroed in on stomach cancers. In total, 17.5 million people were involved, and 77,000 ended up with the disease.

Read the full report.

Dietitians of Canada DOC News Flash