New Delhi, October 30 (IANS). A research has shown that the risk of pancreatic cancer can increase by 20 percent due to obesity in people under 50 years of age.
The study, conducted by researchers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, revealed that most people believe that pancreatic disease only affects the elderly and that there is nothing they can do to reduce their risk.
“However, pancreatic cancer rates are increasing by about one percent a year and we are seeing the disease more regularly in people in their 40s,” said the university’s Jobida Cruz-Monserrate. This is a worrying trend and requires research to find out why this happens.”
For the study, the team surveyed a sample of 1,004 respondents in the US from October 4 to October 7, who were asked about risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
The results showed that more than half (53 percent) of adults under the age of 50 said they would not recognize early signs or symptoms of the disease, and more than one-third (37 percent) believed that There is nothing they can do to change their risk of pancreatic cancer.
More than one-third (33 percent) of people believe that only older people are at risk.
Cruz-Monserrate said reducing pancreatic cancer risk can start with maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity alone increases a person’s risk of pancreatic cancer by 20 percent.
On the other hand, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that only 10 percent of pancreatic cancers are associated with genetic risks (genetic markers passed through families), including the BRCA gene, Lynch syndrome, and others.
Cruz-Monserrate said, “You can’t change your genes, but you can change your lifestyle. Losing obesity is a very easy task for most people. It also reduces a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, other cancers and heart disease.” Increases.”
–IANS
MKS/AKJ