New study finds that inflammatory proteins in the colon increase incrementally with weight

Activation of precancerous pathways seen with obesity; secondary findings suggest that NSAIDs may lower the levels of pro-inflammatory proteins in the colon
scale and measuring tape

BOSTON (Oct. 10, 2018)—Studies in mice have demonstrated that obesity-induced inflammation contributes to the risk of colorectal cancer, but evidence in humans has been scarce. A new study shows that two inflammatory proteins in the colon increase in parallel with increasing weight in humans. An incremental rise in these pro-inflammatory proteins (called cytokines) was observed along the entire spectrum of subjects’ weights, which extended from lean to obese individuals. In participants with obesity, there was evidence that two pre-cancerous cellular pathways known to be triggered by these cytokines were also activated.

The study, while modest in size, provides new evidence that obesity promotes cancer through inflammation. Secondary findings suggest that NSAIDS lower the levels of pro-inflammatory proteins in the colon, regardless of a person’s weight.

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