How might obesity increase the risk of cancer?

So I think there are multiple mechanistic ways in which obesity increases the risk of cancer. One of them is that obesity increases insulin resistance and insulin like growth factor levels and these elevated levels lead to increased cell growth and proliferation. Another mechanism is alteration of sex hormones such as estrogen and increased levels due to fat cells making estrogen.

And then the third way would be inflammation. So inflammation increase is also associated with increased risk of cancer. So I’d say these are the three main ways Adiponectin has a lot of data in myeloma too. It's one of these hormones that are associated with obesity but also associated with myeloma risk.

What is adiponectin?

Adiponectin is a hormone that is associated with anti-inflammatory insulin sensitizing properties and is associated with obesity as well.

So increased adiponectin levels are associated with a normal BMI and decrease levels are associated with obesity.

In myeloma, MGUS adiponectin levels are reduced as well.

Is there a way to increase adiponectin?

Weight loss to bringing the BMI to a normal BMI is associated with an increase in adiponectin levels and in myeloma

there a study looked at a pooled analysis of many patients, over 600 myeloma patients, and I think about 1200 controls. And what they showed is that patients with myeloma had lower adiponectin levels compared to normal weight patients who didn't have myeloma, but also obese and overweight patients were more likely to have lower adiponectin levels and an increased risk of myeloma compared to normal weight patients.

So I think the risk is highest with the lower adiponectin levels. If the BMI is about normal.

Adiponectin levels, unfortunately cannot just be increased be increased with a pill or a supplement and need to be, you know, it's overall health without having the BMI within normal range that can help raise this. And there's no shortcut here.

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is where your body is making a lot of insulin, but the cells are not sensitive to it any more.

So in diet or in situations in the body where there is increased fat in the cells, the cells are no longer sensitive, the muscle cells and other cells of the body to the insulin. And what insulin does is it helps the body metabolize glucose into energy. So if the insulin is not able to do its job, the glucose levels also begin to rise.

Insulin resistance is associated with diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, inflammation, all of this and it also metabolic syndrome. If you heard this term is a state of insulin resistance.

Is there a way to reverse insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is associated with increased levels of IGF one or the insulin like growth factor one, and that has been associated with several cancers as well. So increased levels are associated with increased risk of cancer. So insulin resistance or diabetes has also been associated with many different cancers. We don't know if this is causation or correlation, meaning is it because the same risk factors are for cancer or is it that this insulin resistance is driving cancer?

But we do know it's associated. And so bringing the insulin resistance back to a normal state, which can again be done with a low fat plant forward diet is, I think, important.