There is a good news for obese and overweight people as researchers have found that higher body weight or high body mass index (BMI) could increase the chance of beating certain cancers.
Focusing on clinical trials of atezolizumab, a common immunotherapy treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the researchers from Flinders university found improved responsiveness to the drug in those with a high body mass index (BMI).
The WHO estimates at least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity leads to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance.Risks of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and type 2 diabetes mellitus increase steadily with increasing body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height.
For the findings, published in the journal JAMA Oncology, 1,434 participants took part in the study, in which 49 per cent were normal weight, 34 per cent were overweight and seven per cent were obese.
