Gullet cancer link seen with obesity

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Highly obese people are six times likelier to develop cancer of the gullet than people of healthy weight, according to a study published on Thursday in the British journal Gut.

The probe, carried out in Australia, looked at 793 people with oesophageal cancer, who were compared with 1,580 counterparts matched for age and place of residence.

Risks of developing this cancer were higher among individuals who had gastric acid reflux, which has long been associated with such tumours.

But another big risk factor was obesity.

Those with a body mass index (BMI, a measure of fat) of 40 or more were six times more at risk than people with a BMI of between 18.5 and 25, which is deemed to be a standard for good health.

A combination of...