Obesity Due to High-fat Diet Hastens Leukemia Risk: Study

Obesity Due to High-Fat

Obesity caused due to fatty diet can directly speed up the progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a study at The Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.Obesity has been associated with an increased incidence of many cancers, including leukemia, but it has been unknown whether the increase in incidence was a direct effect of obesity or associated with genetic, lifestyle,health, or socio-economic factors.

"Given the high prevalence of obesity in our society, we felt it was critical to determine if obesity actually caused the increased incidence of leukemia and not some other associated exposure," explained Dr. Steven D. Mittelman, a pediatric endocrinologist who led the study.The researchers used a high-fat diet to induce obesity in two mouse models of ALL. Mice were randomized to a high-fat or a control diet.

The investigators found that obesity increased the risk of ALL in both models, particularly in older mice.The finding was consistent with the type of cumulative effect seen with other exposure-related cancers, such as lung cancer related to smoking and breast cancer resulting from increased estrogen exposure.

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