Study: Weight Loss Surgery may Reduce Cancer Risk in Women

Ivanhoe Newswire

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Obese women could lower their risk of cancer with bariatric (weight loss) surgery, according to a new study.

Many kinds of cancer are linked with obesity and a high body mass index (BMI). Obesity is the second most preventable cause of cancer, next to smoking. Fourteen percent of cancer deaths in men and 20 percent in women are caused by obesity.

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A Swedish study compared 2,010 obese patients who had bariatric surgery with 2,037 obese patients who had received standard or no treatment. Patients were followed for about 11 years, and received regular cancer screenings.

Researchers found women who had the weight loss surgery reduced their risk for cancer by 42 percent. The surgery showed no significant effect for men. 

SOURCE: The Lancet Oncology, July 2009

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