Link Between Obesity and Cancer Under Scrutiny

If that is what the fat choose, cancer is one way to lose weight.

In an ongoing effort to better understand the link between obesity and cancer, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has refunded the initiative known as the Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC).

The $45 million, 5-year program also will study ways to prevent obesity, particularly among children and cancer survivors.

The initiative's research projects range from the biologic and physiologic mechanisms of obesity to the behavioral, sociocultural, and environmental influences on nutrition, physical activity, and weight. The underlying theme of all the research is the effort to understand the relation between energetics (energy under transformation) and cancer, according to a press statement from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, which will act as TREC's coordinating center.

"NCI is very concerned about the epidemic of obesity and its implications for cancer," said Robert Croyle, PhD, director of NCI's division of cancer control and population sciences, in a press statement. "This investment reflects the urgency of the problem and the need to accelerate scientific progress to inform cancer-control strategies."

Obesity has been tied to the risk of either developing or dying from a variety of cancers, such as those of the breast, colon, and esophagus, in multiple studies, as reported by Medscape Medical News. The American Cancer Society has reportedly estimated that about 30% of cancer deaths are due to poor nutrition, excess weight, and lack of exercise.

Save the money.

Let the fat experience their choice.

It just might spur them to shed the pounds.