Childhood obesity correlated with an increased risk for adult liver cancer, according to new data presented Saturday at the International Liver Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The Danish study monitored birth weight and BMI at school age of 165,540 men and 160,883 women born from 1930 to 1989. After calculating and comparing the risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among the 252 participants who developed HCC at follow-up, researchers concluded that at age 7, the risk of developing HCC increased by 1.12 per unit of increase in BMI. At age 13, the risk increased to 1.25, continuing to rise into adulthood as units of BMI increased.
“Childhood obesity not only leads to the development of many adverse metabolic conditions … but also fatty liver disease, which may subsequently result in liver cancer,” Frank Lammert, MD, PhD, a member of the scientific committee of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, said. “The importance of maintaining a healthy childhood BMI cannot be underestimated.”
For more information:
Berentzen TL. Abstract #110. Presented at: The International Liver Congress, April 18-22, Barcelona, Spain