Obesity in America is a growing concern and now, a new study has pointed out yet another health concern linked with excess weight.
According to a new report from the American Academy of Neurology, people who are overweight may be more likely to have meningioma, a type of brain tumor. The meta-analysis made use of data related to body mass index (BMI), physical activity, as well as two of the most common types of brain tumors in adults, meningioma and glioma. The available data consisted of 12 studies related to BMI, six on physical activity and 2,982 meningioma cases and 3,057 glioma cases.
In it's press release dated September 16, 2015, experts published their findings in the online medical journal of the Academy, Neurology. It's estimated that obesity increases the risk of meningioma by a whooping 54 percent while being overweight upped the risk by a slightly lower 21 percent.
"This is an important finding since there are few known risk factors for meningioma and the ones we do know about are not things a person can change," said meta-analysis author Gundula Behrens, PhD, of the University of Regensburg in Regensburg, Germany, in the study's official statement. "Given the high prevalence of obesity and the unfavorable prognosis for this type of tumor, these findings may be relevant for strategies aimed at reducing the risk of meningioma."
WebMD reports that the study was able to show an association, albeit weak, between physical activity. The findings weren't statistically significant and it was noted that the research didn't aim to prove such a cause-and-effect relationship.
"With physical activity, it's possible that meningiomas that had not been diagnosed yet caused people to reduce their physical activity at the time it was measured," she said. "As a reminder, while there was an association in the study between weight and this type of tumor, it should be noted that tumors are rare," said Behrens.
Obesity and Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, obesity -- a condition in which a person has an abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat -- has been associated to an increased risk of a number of cancer types, which include:
- Esophagus
- Pancreas
- Colon and rectum
- Breast (after menopause)
- Endometrium (lining of the uterus)
- Kidney
- Thyroid
- Gallbladder
