Weight control, endocrine hormones and cancer prevention

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing which becomes worrisome due to its association with several diseases and certain types of cancers. While weight control through dietary caloric restriction and/or physical activity protects against cancer in animal models, the underlying mechanisms are not fully defined. Weight loss due to negative energy balance is associated with alterations of multiple growth factors and endocrine hormones. The altered hormones and hormone-related functions appear to be responsible for anti-cancer mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the recent studies related to weight loss and the altered endocrine hormones, focusing on the reduced levels of the mitogenic insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and adipokine leptin as well as the raised levels of adiponectin and glucocorticoids. The potential molecular targets of these hormone-dependent signalling pathways are also discussed. Considering the increasing trends of obesity throughout the world, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms between body weight, endocrine hormones and cancer risk may lead to novel approaches to cancer prevention and treatment.

Effect of Weight Loss with or without Exercise on Inflammatory Markers and Adipokines in Postmenopausal Women: The SHAPE-2 Trial, A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Weight loss in overweight and obese women, by diet or exercise, may normalize levels of the above mentioned inflammatory markers and adipokines (14,15). It has been argued that exercise may have beneficial effects on these markers, irrespective of concurrent weight loss (4,16).…”

Treadmill walking differently affects body composition and metabolic parameters of female rats from normal or small litters

“…Regular physical activity since childhood helps in the control of body weight and adiposity, and a sedentary lifestyle, together with increased food ingestion, is a major cause of the epidemics of obesity (1,27,32). According to Matsudo and Matsudo (32), exercise in obese subjects alters the body composition even without changes in body weight or BMI.…”

“…The prevalence of obesity continues to increase in many countries; in Brazil, data from the World Health Organization show that the prevalence of overweight/obesity [body mass indexes (BMIs) above 25 kg·m −2 ] is higher than 50% in the population older than 15 years. This high prevalence is due to factors involving lifestyle, such as large caloric intakes and low levels of physical activity (1,27). Life quality and expectancy are affected by excessive body fat.…”

Effects of Apelin-13 on Human Prostate Cancer Lines [Insan Prostat Kanseri Hucre Serilerinde Apelin-13'un Etkileri]

“…Androjenler, prostata özgü faaliyetlerin düzenlenmesinden sorumlu olan tek hormon grubu değildir [13,14]. Son zamanlarda yağ dokusunun protein sinyallerini ve adipokin adı verilen çok sayıda faktörleri salgılayarak aktif bir endokrin organ gibi çalıştığı rapor edilmiştir [15].…”