Studies suggest that visceral fat puts men at higher risk for prostate cancer and women at higher risk for breast cancer. What mechanisms are at play? And, what, if anything, can you do to lower your risk?
In part one, we reviewed the link between visceral (belly) fat and cancer, the mechanisms that may cause visceral fat to promote cancer growth, and how to manage your visceral fat levels. But did you know that visceral fat affects the risk of cancer in men and women differently?
Although there are some similarities, visceral fat puts men and women more at risk to different types of cancer.
In case you missed it in Part 1, there are the three main reasons that visceral fat can increase your risk of cancer:
Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is an immune reaction gone wrong that can eventually lead to your body attacking its own healthy cells, along with the production of unhealthy cancer cells.
Insulin resistance: Insulin is the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels by storing excess sugar as fat. Insulin resistance, where your body doesn’t “listen” to insulin like it should, is strongly linked to obesity, visceral fat accumulation, and inflammation.
Fibroblast growth factor-2: This is a protein that’s released by visceral fat cells at high levels, and it may contribute to the growth of cancer cells.
In addition to these reasons, the way women’s hormones respond to and interact with visceral fat may explain their differences in cancer risk. Here’s what we know about how visceral fat and cancer risk differ between men and women.
Visceral fat and cancer risk in men
Researchers have noted that visceral fat is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in men and that it may also be linked to more aggressive prostate cancer. One study in over 1,800 men found that those with higher levels of visceral fat were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer. This highlights the importance of knowing your body fat composition and how and where fat is stored in your body.
Additionally, observational data (from studies that observe large groups of people over several years) suggests that obesity—particularly abdominal obesity—can increase a male’s risk of developing colon cancer by 30-70 percent.
Because you don’t have to be overweight to carry visceral fat or to have a fat distribution that may increase your risk of disease, these findings highlight the importance of body composition and body fat distribution testing. It’s vital to consider the big picture rather than depending solely on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, or weight to assess your risk of chronic illness.
Visceral fat and cancer in women
In women, visceral fat is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. In one study that matched women with breast cancer with a control group (women who didn’t have cancer), researchers found that the women with breast cancer had—on average—45% more upper body fat than those in the control group.
The researchers in this study hypothesize that because visceral fat may affect the way estrogen in the body is manufactured and metabolized, these abnormalities can contribute to the development of breast cancer.
This could be due in part to natural changes related to aging. Before menopause, women tend to accumulate fat in a gynoid pattern—that is, on their hips and thighs. This fat carries a lower risk of chronic disease than visceral fat. Unfortunately, menopause causes changes to a woman’s hormonal profile that make her more likely to accumulate visceral fat, which may lead to cancer development through one of the three mechanisms we discussed in part one.
However, this isn’t the full picture. Research shows that overexposure to estrogen is a significant contributor to breast cancer development.
As we mentioned in the last post, visceral fat and inflammation go hand-in-hand. And these two may cause a woman’s body to create more estrogen, leading to favorable conditions for breast cancer development. Inflammation causes levels of aromatase, the enzyme that regulates how much estrogen should be produced, to increase—resulting in more estrogen. This can happen not only in visceral fat but also in breast fat, possibly leading to breast cancer formation even if the inflammation was triggered by visceral fat.
Fortunately, we have a variety of tools—like lifestyle changes and testing options—at our disposal to help prevent excessive visceral fat accumulation and be more informed about our current fat distribution levels.
If you want to reduce your visceral fat levels or prevent visceral fat accumulation, lifestyle is key. As we discussed in part one, you should prioritize a balanced diet, adequate exercise, and stress management if visceral fat reduction is your goal.
However, you first need to be equipped with knowledge about your body fat distribution. Are you carrying excess body fat? And if so, where? Unfortunately, this isn’t something that your bathroom scale or the outdated body mass index (BMI) will be able to tell you.
The only way to get a clear picture of your body fat distribution is through body fat testing, which we offer here at Fitnescity. We provide DEXA scans and BOD POD assessments, both of which can provide in-depth information about your body fat levels, metabolic rate (how many calories you burn at rest), and your fat-free mass (like your bones and muscles).
If decreasing cancer risk is a priority for you, don’t underestimate the importance of body fat testing so you can know for sure how your body fat distribution may be affecting your risk.
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