PARIS: Nearly six percent of new cancers diagnosed worldwide in 2012 — some 800,000 cases — were caused by diabetes and excess weight, according to a study published Tuesday.
Among the 12 types of cancer examined, the proportion of cases chalked up to these factors was as high as a third, researchers reported in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, a leading medical journal.
Cancers stemming from diabetes and obesity combined was almost twice as common among women than men, they found.
And of the two cancer-causing agents, being overweight or obese — above 25 on the body-mass index, or BMI — was responsible for twice as many cancers as diabetes.
The conditions, in reality, are often found together, as obesity is itself a leading risk factor for diabetes.
“While obesity has been associated with cancer for some time, the link between diabetes and cancer has only been established quite recently,” said lead author Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, a clinical research fellow at Imperial College London’s Faculty of Medicine.
“Our study shows that diabetes — either on its own or combined with being overweight — is responsible for hundreds of thousands of cancer cases each year across the world.”
A surge in both conditions over the last four decades has made the tally significantly worse, the study showed.
The global increase in diabetes between 1980 and 2002 accounted for a quarter of the 800,000 cases, while the obesity epidemic over the same period resulted in an additional 30 percent of cases.
On current trends, the share of cancers attributable to the two conditions will increase by 30 percent for women and 20 percent for men in less than 20 years, the researchers warned.
“In the past, smoking was by far the major risk factor for cancer, but now health care professionals should also be aware that patients who have diabetes or are overweight also have an increased risk,” Pearson-Stuttard said.
For men, obesity and diabetes accounted for more than 40 percent of liver cancers, while for women they were responsible for a third of uterine cancers, and nearly as many cases of breast cancer.
The threshold for obesity is a BMI — one’s weight in kilos divided by one’s height (in centimeters) squared — of 30.
To conduct the study, researchers gathered data on cases of 12 types of cancer from 175 countries in 2012, and matched it with data on weight and diabetes.
People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered to be overweight.
Diabetes, obesity behind 800,000 cases of cancer worldwide
Diabetes, obesity behind 800,000 cases of cancer worldwide
Where We Are Going Today: Orenda Coffee Hub in Dhahran
- The Hasawi cookie was the highlight of my visit, and definitely something I would order again
In search of a hot beverage that you can hold like a hug for your hand as the winter weather cools? Try Orenda in Dhahran.
According to Dictionary.com, Orenda is defined as “an invisible magic power believed by the Iroquois people of North America to pervade all natural objects as a spiritual energy.”
While geographically far away from the land in which the word originated, the cafe has plenty of inspiration from local and global lands.
Their Hasawi cookies—caked with dates and a tiny bit of nuts and cardamom tucked within to give it texture and an elevated taste of neighboring Al-Ahsa—goes for SR 12. This was the highlight of my visit and I would definitely order again.
I tried it with a satisfying SR 16 cappuccino in a ceramic mug. Soft jazz played on the day of our visit. Plenty of natural light bathed the space with the giant windows and many people were typing on their laptops or scrolling on their phones in silence.
It has a perfectly quiet, perhaps even an orenda atmosphere.
While the weather is still pleasant, you can find many options for outdoor seating. There’s also an upstairs section, up a fun, winding green spiral staircase. Though no elevator was in sight, the bottom floor interior seems wide enough for a wheelchair.
If you do find yourself wandering up the second floor, you’ll find even more seating with an even cozier feel with decor reminiscent of a warm home.
Restrooms are situated on the next and final floor, up even more steps.
A prayer area can be found on the third floor too, along with a massive glass door leading into an outdoor space with tables and chairs aplenty.
Opened eight months ago, it remains the first and only branch in the Kingdom.
Because it seemed very popular, I ordered an iced Orenda matcha for the road, at SR 24. It was decent.
It is open from 6 a.m. until midnight daily, aside from Thursdays and Fridays when it closes at 1 a.m.
Follow them on @orendacoffee.sa.
