We have known for a long time now that obesity increases our cancer risk. New studies have found though that fatty tissue actually decreases the body’s ability to fight cancer. This study was performed in mice, and by decreasing their percentage body fat (with surgery or by running three to five km a day on training wheels) made them more able to fight skin cancer.
Researchers at Rutgers University performing this study on mice suggest that fat cells could potentially be secreting compounds that counteract the body’s main anti-tumour defense systems. This system is called apoptosis and is pretty much “scheduled self destruction” of cells that have become damaged. When this process does not occur, the damaged cell may continue to live and grow into a tomour.
Mice that were allowed to exercise on training wheels in their cages would run for an astonishing three to five kilometers per day, and although they did not lose weight they did replace their fat for additional muscle mass.
Researchers also found that the mice that exercised showed higher levels of apoptosis compared to sedentary mice. Both in sun damaged skin, and in pre-formed skin tumours. They obtained similar results when surgically removing fat cells from the sedentary mice.
The question remains what exactly is responsible for diminishing the rate of apoptosis in fat. On top of that, it is important to note that this study does not necessary immediately translate to people: while mice are great model organisms, not everything that happens in mice will happen in humans
Although we can’t state for sure that loosing weight will have a direct impact on cancer risk, it is quite obvious that keeping off the pounds benefits us in many ways. For example by cutting the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. At the same time, there are studies that do suggest a higher BMI increases the risk of developing cancer in humans, we just don’t know for sure yet why and this recent study may eventually shed some light on that.
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