Most people with Multiple Myeloma exhibit no significant symptoms and are not immediately ill as it’s mostly characterized by an abnormal protein produced by plasma cells.
Researchers find that obesity may increase the risk of developing multiple myeloma, a blood cancer of the plasma cells, by more than 70 per cent. Smoking habits and exercise may also impact one’s likelihood of developing multiple myeloma. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
The research published in Blood Advances revealed that individuals with obesity are more likely to have monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) — a benign blood condition that often precedes multiple myeloma.
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What is Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. The bone marrow is the soft matter inside bones where blood cells are made.
In the bone marrow, the cancer cells crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than make helpful antibodies, the cancer cells make proteins that don’t work right. This leads to complications of multiple myeloma.
What is Obesity
Obesity is a disease in which a person has an unhealthy amount and/or distribution of body fat . Compared with people of healthy weight, those with overweight or obesity are at greater risk for many diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure cardiovascular disease, stroke, and at least 13 types of cancer, as well as having an elevated risk of death from all causes.
Research Result
The researchers found that being obese was associated with 73 per cent higher odds of having MGUS, compared to individuals with normal weights. This association remained unchanged when accounting for physical activity.
However, highly active individuals (defined as doing the equivalent of running or jogging 45-60 minutes per day or more) were less likely to have MGUS even after adjusting for BMI class, whereas those who reported heavy smoking and short sleep were more likely to also have detectable levels of MGUS.
Conclusion
David Lee, from Massachusetts General Hospital, stated that, “These results guide our future research in understanding the influence of modifiable risk factors, such as weight, exercise, and smoking, on cancer risk. We first need to better understand the relationship between Multiple Myeloma and potentially modifiable risk factors like obesity.
