Multiple Myeloma Caused by Obesity

An obese person is more predisposed to develop multiple myeloma compared to normal-weight individuals, according to researchers from the Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women`s Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health.

Researchers believe that Body Mass Index (BMI) is an indicator for one`s risk to suffer from multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a blood cell cancer that produces antibodies and affects over 50,000 people in the U.S. and has a five year survival rate below forty percent. The study`s results are encouraging, since people can find out which is the cause of the disease.

Also, the treatment for multiple myeloma is improving, according to researcher Brenda Birmann. Researchers collected data every four years from participants regarding their height, weight, physical activity, diet, smoking habits, medications, and other habits.The results proved that men with a BMI higher than thirty have a double risk to develop multiple myeloma compared to lean men.

In case of overweight or obese women, the effect is less pronounced but they still have a higher risk compared to lean women. Researchers also studied the connection between regular physical activity and the risk of suffering from multiple myeloma.The results are still not concrete but experts suggest that the risk may be lowered with more exercise.

Previous research indicated that there may be other connections between multiple myeloma and obesity, said Birmann. For instance, cells in the fat tissue produce a signal that stimulates the immune system’s inflammation response. In case of obese people, the signal can be overproduced, and that may lead to signal overproduction, a proper environment for the development of multiple myeloma.