Those overweight at age 20, 60-80% more susceptible to develop stomach cancer in later life!

New Delhi: Excess of anything is detrimental to health and excessive weight probably features on the top of that list.

Maintaining a healthy weight that is complimentary to your age, height and body structure is ideal, especially because so many things can go wrong if you're overweight.

Obesity can negatively affect most of your organs – especially the heart – make you vulnerable to diabetes, joint pains, arthritis, make it difficult for women during pregnancy – basically, impact your overall health.

Now, a study has revealed the downside of being overweight in youth, saying that excessive weight during the early 20s puts one at an increased risk of developing cancer of either the oesophagus (food pipe) or upper stomach in adulthood by three times.

The findings showed that those who are overweight at the age of 20 are nearly 60-80 percent more likely to develop these cancers in later life, compared to those who maintained a healthy weight throughout life.

Those who gained more than 20 kg during adulthood were also twice as likely to develop oesophageal cancer compared to people who had little weight change.

Carrying excess weight can trigger long-term reflux problems and heartburn that can lead to cancer.

It can also change the levels of sex hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, cause levels of insulin to rise, and lead to inflammation – all of which are factors associated with increased cancer risk, the researchers said.

"The study highlights how weight gain over the course of our lives can increase the risk of developing these two cancer types, both of which have extremely poor survival rate," said lead author Jessica Petrick from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, US.

For the study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, the team pooled data from more than 400,000 people and analysed their reported height and weight at ages 20 and 50.

The study highlighted the importance of keeping a healthy weight throughout life to reduce the risk of developing these cancers.

Small steps like taking the stairs more often, keeping an eye on the quantity of food consumed and switching to sugar-free drinks are simple things we all can do to keep a healthy weight, the researchers suggested.

(With IANS inputs)