Overweight and obese people who lose weight also reduce the levels of three proteins that encourage angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels that feed cancer tumours and help them grow.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center discovered the double-benefit of losing weight when they monitored the health of 439 overweight and post-menopausal women who didn’t have cancer.
They were put on various weight-loss programmes, including exercise and diet, for a year, and those who lost the most weight also had lower levels of the three cancer-promoting proteins.
It’s been known for some time that people who are overweight and have a sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise are more likely to develop cancer – and now researchers think they know why. Losing weight is another effective way of preventing cancer, they reckon.
(Source: Cancer Research, 2016; doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0399)
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