20 January 2024 , 07:20
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People with Obesity are 73 per cent more likely to have a condition that can lead to incurable blood cancer, a new study has warned.
Obese people are 73 per cent more likely to have monoclonal gammopathy (MGUS), a benign blood condition that often precedes multiple myeloma, researchers found. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that attacks the white blood cells that produce antibodies that power your immune system and fight infection.
MUGS has no symptoms so many people who have it are not aware as they are not immediately sick, but the presence of the disease serves as a warning for the development of critical conditions like multiple myeloma.
American Society of Hematology researchers called their findings concerning, as 42 per cent of the US population are considered obese (defined by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher.) The Health Survey for England 2021 estimates that 25.9 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 37.9 per cent are overweight but not obese.
“While significant advancements have been made in therapeutics for multiple myeloma, it remains an incurable disease, often diagnosed after patients have already experienced end-organ damage,” said Dr David Lee from Massachusetts General Hospital.
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In the US 42 per cent of the population are considered obese and in the UK it is almost 26 per cent (InYourArea)“It's preceded by premalignant conditions including MGUS. Our research group is focused on investigating risk factors and etiology of MGUS to better understand who may be at increased risk for developing MGUS and its progression to multiple myeloma.”
The study looked at 2,628 individuals from across the United States who were at elevated risk of developing multiple myeloma from 2019-2022. Participants were then screened for MGUS by identification of certain proteins in the blood. The team found that being obese was associated with 73 per cent higher odds of having MGUS, compared to people with normal weights, according to the study published in the journal Blood Advances.
Those who reported heavy smoking and short sleep were more likely to have detectable levels of MGUS. However, highly active individuals - those who do the equivalent of running or jogging at least 45-60 minutes per day - were less likely to have MGUS. The researchers hope to explore more effective ways of measuring obesity than BMI and say they will look into these links between weight and risk of blood cancer.
Dr Lee added: "These results guide our future research in understanding the influence of modifiable risk factors, such as weight, exercise, and smoking, on cancer risk.
"Before we can develop effective preventative health strategies to lower the risk of serious diseases like multiple myeloma, we first need to better understand the relationship between MGUS and potentially modifiable risk factors like obesity.”