Excess fat triggers breast, prostate, colorectal, pancreas and esophageal cancer because hormones such as estrogens cause the development of different types of neoplasm

The 2018 Peru Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES, in Spanish) showed an alarming figure indicating that 60% of Peruvians over the age of 15 suffer from obesity. In addition, a growing number of women are suffering from this disease compared to men (63.1% versus 56.8%)

“These are serious indicators evidencing that excess fat triggers breast, prostate, colorectal, pancreas, and esophageal cancer, because hormones such as estrogens, which are found in fat, are carcinogen and cause the development of different types of neoplasm”, said Mauricio León Rivera, Surgical Oncologist of our clinic.

Moreover, when type 2 diabetes develops in patients eating poorly, especially sweets and fats, the insulin-like growth factor elevates triggering different types of cancer, said the Specialist

Diseases caused by overweight and obesity

Apart from the type of cancers already mentioned, the following diseases may occur: infertility in women, miscarriages and poor response to fertility treatments, endometriosis, fatty liver, the possibility of developing a heart attack or a stroke due to cardiovascular disease, loss of vision if they suffer from type 2 diabetes, dizziness and headache due to high cholesterol, knee joint pain, among others

Interesting fact

Overweight children are far more likely to become overweight adults. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, more than 41 million children worldwide under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. These children tend to remain obese in adulthood

Dr. Mauricio León
Surgical Oncologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma