Obesity is not good for health, which is the consensus of many patients, but the harm of obesity is not only this, it is also related to tumor metastasis.
01 The "Bridge" between Obesity and Cancer
Numerous studies have shown that there are multiple mechanisms in the connection between obesity and cancer, such as the interaction between adipocytes and tumor cells, the secretion of adipocytes related factors to affect cancer progression, and the use of fat as an energy reservoir to promote tumorigenesis and progression [1].
Take adipokines, for example.
In addition to storing fat, fat cells also secrete a large number of bioactive substances, which are called adipogenic factors, including adiponectin, resistin, omentin, and Chemerin.
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Chemerin, also known as retinoic acid receptor response protein (RARRES)-2, is associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome (a state in which multiple metabolic risk factors of the cardiovascular system are assembled, including obesity, diabetes/impaired glucose regulation, dyslipidemia, hypertension, etc.) [2].
Previous studies on Chemerin have mostly been on the cardiovascular side, such as case-control studies that have found that Chemerin is closely related to the risk of heart failure, and experiments on mice have found that inhibition of the Chemerin gene in the aorta can improve aortic atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet [2].
Recently, however, it has been discovered that Chemerin is also involved in the proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells. They measured the expression of chemerin in different ovarian cancer cell lines and found that the expression of chemerin in highly metastatic ovarian cancer cell lines was significantly higher than that of one cell line, and then the researchers stimulated these cells with exogenous chemerin and found that their proliferation rates showed an increased trend [3].
After a series of tests and assays, the researchers found that Chemerin promotes tumor proliferation and migration by upregulating PD-L1 in ovarian cancer cells [3]. This result is not surprising.
02 How is obesity?
What kind of person is considered obese? Depends on weight, body fat percentage, or waist circumference?
At present, the most commonly used method of measuring obesity is to measure body mass index (BMI = weight divided by height squared). For example, a person who is 60 kg and 1.6 meters tall has a BMI = 60÷ (1.6✖1.6) ≈ 23.4 kg/㎡.
BMI<18.5kg/㎡ is considered underweight;
BMI of 18.5~23.9kg/㎡ is normal;
A BMI of 24~27.9 kg/㎡ is considered overweight, and a BMI of ≥ 28 kg/㎡ is considered obese[4];
If the condition of overweight/obese patients is stable, they can lose weight appropriately through nutrition and exercise intervention, and if the BMI ≥ 35kg/㎡, drug or even surgical treatment needs to be considered.
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Of course, we can't be too light, if we are too underweight, BMI < 18.5kg/㎡, it is easy to be malnourished, and it will also trigger a series of reactions such as decreased immunity and reduced tolerance to side effects, and we need to gain weight appropriately.
In addition to BMI, waist circumference can also be used to reflect the degree of obesity, as there is a strong correlation between waist circumference and the amount of visceral fat in the abdomen. At present, the Asia-Pacific region recommends that the waist circumference of men in the exhaled state ≥ 90cm, and the waist circumference of women ≥ 85cm as the standard of central obesity, and the waist circumference can be measured from the middle of the bottom of the ribs and the top of the iliac wings on both sides of the pelvis as a measurement point with a soft ruler.
Finally, there are also values such as body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, skinfold thickness and other values that can reflect the degree of obesity, and patients can test it if they have the opportunity.
03 How to control weight?
In our case, weight control is not an easy task, because as we age, our basal metabolic level decreases, and menopause after ovarian cancer surgery to remove the ovaries will also increase the risk of obesity after menopause.
Therefore, it is difficult for us to control our weight, and we need to stretch the "battle line" and slowly lose weight under the premise of stable physical condition.
(1) Aerobic or anaerobic exercise?
Exercise does not reduce fat cells, but it does reduce the amount of fat in the cells, which is a good way to lose weight.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise can actually burn fat, aerobic exercise is low intensity and lasts for a long time, and anaerobic exercise is higher in intensity but shorter in duration.
The elderly, obese people, people with insufficient oxygen supply to the myocardium, high blood pressure and diabetes should do aerobic exercise to prevent injuries during exercise, but the gains outweigh the losses.
In addition, because everyone's average heart rate and maximum heart rate are different, everyone's "aerobic exercise" is also different [6] - in layman's terms, the body's oxygen supply capacity is poor, and the oxygen consumption cannot be supplied if the exercise intensity is slightly higher, and the exercise intensity needs to be reduced to adapt to the body's oxygen supply.
For example, the elderly over 60 years old, his exercise should start with "longer hiking", you can bring a wristband to measure the heart rate, control the heart rate at 110 for 30 minutes, or control the heart rate at 100 for 60 minutes, and then the body adapts, and then gradually increase the intensity of exercise to prevent injury.
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(2) Can I control my diet?
It is possible to control the diet, but only if you can accurately assess your energy.
There are many common diet control regimens, and there is one control regimen that is suitable for people of all ages and different degrees of overweight/obesity called "energy restriction diet", which is actually a reasonable restriction of energy intake.
It includes the following points [7]:
(1) (Recommended) Reduce total energy intake by 1/3, or 1200~1400kcal per day for men and 1000~1200kcal per day for women (can be achieved by eating small amounts of food frequently).
(2) In the energy intake, carbohydrates should account for 55~60% of the total daily energy, and fat should account for 25~30%, which can be achieved by eating more high-protein and low-fat foods such as fish and lean meat, so as to avoid excessive intake of animal fat.
(3) When increasing the proportion of soy protein intake and increasing the intake of dairy products, the body fat content can be significantly reduced.
Note: Weight loss is best done when you are in good physical condition.
Finally, we should eat more vegetables, fruits, grains and other foods, try to balance nutrition while controlling the diet, drink more water, quit smoking and alcohol, and properly supplement the lack of nutrients, so that we can truly achieve long-term adherence and healthy weight loss.
Are you overweight?Have you tried to lose weight?Welcome to share your BMI and weight loss experience in the comment area, and we encourage each other together~
Warm reminder: The information involved in this article is intended to convey the cutting-edge medical information and research progress, and does not involve the recommendation of diagnosis and treatment plans.
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Editor in charge: Mijian Kepujun
Reference Sources:
[1] Wang Yuehong, Xu Junxia. Effect of health education on diet-related knowledge in gastric cancer patients[J]. Journal of Anhui Health Vocational and Technical College, 2015, v.14(05):45-46.
[2] Wang Xingzhi. Can cancer patients eat "hair matter"[J]. Chin H Health Care, 2011, 000(006): 71
[5] Four dietary precautions during taking targeted drugs!Teach you how to mix them reasonably, achieve efficiency and reduce toxicity, and help fight cancer!Find a drug guide.2019-12-17
[6] Venkatachalam M, Sathe SK. Chemical composition of selected edible nut seeds [J]. J Agric Food Chem, 2006, 54(13): 4705.
[7] U. S. Department of Agriculture, Service A. USDA nutrient database for standard reference, Release 15 [J]. Enhancing Und Quan Soil–root Growth Interact, 2014: 273-294.
[8] Ruan Guangfeng.About coffee, you should know 6 things[J].Jiangsu Health Care,2020(01):42-43.
[9] Zhao Dehua, Chu Mingming, Chen Jing, Jia Lin, Han Jianjun, He Xia, Long Xiaoqing, Wang Jisheng.Effect of food on the bioavailability of small molecule targeted drugs[J].Herald of Medicine,2019,38(06):796-799.