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Obesity
and liver cancer
Liver
cancer is perhaps one of the most dangerous and common forms of
cancer. Proper functioning of the liver can be greatly affected
by obesity and lead to fatty liver disease. Gone are the days
when liver damage was associated with excessive consumption of
alcohol. Recent experiments have proved that being overweight
is a risk factor. Also known as NAFLD (non alcoholic fatty liver
disease), its occurrence has risen over the years. Though this
condition is essentially harmless, it becomes grave if transformed
to non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
What is a fatty liver?
One of the major functions of a liver is breaking down the fats
in the body. A fatty liver is one that accumulates fats. In case
of overweight people, these fats remain in the liver instead of
going out. As more and more fat is stored, it leads to inflammation
and ultimately, liver cancer.
People who suffer from NASH feel normal and will not know of the
effects till a long time. Over a period of time, scar tissues
are developed in the body which may then cause cirrhosis and finally,
liver cancer. One of the major forms of liver cancer is hepatocellular
carcinoma otherwise known as HCC. Obese people are more vulnerable
to HCC as they produce tumor creating cytokines. Another augment
in such people is insulin resistance by the body tissues. When
this happens, there is a large amount of insulin which is not
absorbed and this causes cancerous growth.
Checking the BMI (Body Mass Index) will let you know if you are
in danger. A person who has a BMI of more than 25 is prone to
HCC than the one who has a lesser BMI. Men who have BMI of 35
and above are susceptible to liver cancer. This cancer cannot
be diagnosed in the early stages and usually, after the diagnosis,
most of the patients die very early. Therefore, if you wish to
stay away from this fatal disease, it is time to start working
towards losing weight before it gets too late.
A fatty liver can be diagnosed easily and if you are overweight,
this has to be done immediately. Men are more at risk that women
when it comes to liver cancer. Be it any cancer, one has to suffer
a lot. Liver cancer is all the more harmful and care should be
taken to get rid of obesity.
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