Increase in throat cancer parallels obesity rate

The rising incidence of throat cancer, also referred to as cancer of the esophagus or esophageal adenocarcinoma, may be related to Americans' increasing intake of total and refined carbohydrates and subsequent rise in obesity rates.

"The similarity in these trends gives further evidence for the association of carbohydrate intake, obesity, and related measures with cancer," Dr. Cheryl L. Thompson told Reuters Health.

She and colleagues caution, however, that such observations do not necessarily reflect individual risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma

The researchers, all associated with Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in Ohio, compared National Cancer Institute data for esophageal adenocarcinoma (1973-2001) and food consumption information from the National Nutrient Data Bank (1909-1997).

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma increased over the review period and "strongly correlated" with carbohydrate consumption. This cancer is also known to be strongly associated with gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), which, in turn, associated with obesity and a high carbohydrate intake, the investigators report in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

By contrast, they noted a decrease in the rates of squamous cell cancer of the esophagus, which is more closely associated with smoking rather than reflux disease and obesity.

The researchers found a trend toward higher intakes of refined carbohydrates; those with more starch and lower nutrient levels than carbohydrates obtained from whole grains and minimally processed foods.

These findings highlight the importance of limiting refined carbohydrates in the American diet, the investigators note. Additional research is needed to assess individual risk from high intake of refined carbohydrates, Thompson adds.

Dad's early obesity tied to liver disease in kids

Having a father who becomes obese at a relatively young age may increase a person's risk of developing serious liver problems, a new study shows.

Individuals whose fathers were obese before age 45 were more likely than those whose parents were not obese to have high levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in their blood, an enzyme that signals liver injury, Dr. Rohit Loomba of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and colleagues found.

High ALT levels in the general population can be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, an obesity-related condition, Loomba and his team say. One severe, progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which can lead to cirrhosis and even liver cancer, they note in the medical journal Gastroenterology.

To investigate whether parental obesity might be related to high ALT levels, as well as levels of another enzyme related to liver damage, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), the researchers looked at measurements of both enzymes in 1,732 men and women participating in the Framingham Heart Study.

The researchers divided study participants into three groups: people whose parents became obese unusually early (before age 41 for women and before age 45 for men), those with parents who became obese later on, and those with parents who were never obese.

Having a father with early-onset obesity increased a person's likelihood of having elevated ALT levels, regardless of their own weight, the researchers found. But there was no link between maternal obesity and ALT levels, and no relationship at all between parental obesity and AST levels.

Developing a condition like obesity early can indicate genetic susceptibility to that condition, the researchers note in their report. The findings suggest that genes that promote early-onset obesity could also influence ALT levels, they add.

"These results support the need for further studies to establish whether individuals with early-onset parental obesity and elevated serum ALT levels are at a higher risk for developing progressive liver disease such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis," the researchers conclude.