Global Burden of Obesity and its Association with Cancer Among Young Adults in Pakistan

Abstract

Obesity is considered a growing problem in this modern era due to acceptance of the modernization of lifestyle that led to increased consumption of a diet rich in fatty acids and carbohydrates, sedentary lifestyle, and decreased life expectancy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a person is obese if the BMI > 30, and extreme obesity is labeled if the BMI >  40. An overweight person has a BMI > of 25. Obesity is a renowned preventable disease but, its prevalence is increasing Globally with each passing day. Earlier, obesity was considered a serious health issue in developed countries. But nowadays this problem is on the rise in developing countries as well, especially the urban areas. According to WHO, In the year 2019, 38.2 million children were overweight and obese. In 2016. 1.9 billion people adults of age 18 and above were overweight. Out of those, a large proportion (approximately 650 billion) of people were reported 1 obese. From several suitable pieces of evidence, it has been seen that obesity is closely related to multiple types of cancers, including Endometrial carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, thyroid carcinoma, esophageal and renal carcinoma. Moreover, obesity leads to an increased risk of other types of cancers like gall bladders cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemia.