A new report from Sweden shows that weight loss surgery can reduce cancer risk among women.
Study researchers followed more than 4000 obese men and women for nearly eleven years. Roughly half of the subjects had undergone weight loss surgery, while the other half received standard treatment.
For both patient groups, cancer was the most common cause of death. However, among those women who had weight loss surgery, the cancer rate was 42 percent lower.
The male cancer rates apparently weren’t affected by weight loss, and researchers were unable to conclude what exactly lowered the cancer rate among women. But a 2008 report from Canada noted that men who have weight loss surgery may consume fewer carcinogens, lowering the risk of colon cancer. And in women, lowering body fat can mean reduced levels of estrogen, which can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
We’ll keep you posted on new research developments.
