Scientists have long thought that limiting the calories a person consumes can prevent, or at least slow the progression of certain cancers. But research at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) using mice suggests that body composition ? whether a person is lean or obese ? actually is key to reducing cancer risks.
In other words, how the body handles calories is much more important to controlling cancer risks than how many or how few calories are consumed?a finding that could have strong implications for preventing and treating cancer in humans.
In findings published in the Jan. 1 issue of Cancer Research, the UAB team found that transgenic mice predisposed to prostate cancer that were lean had a much slower progression of cancer than did heavier mice.
?This study suggests that body composition, being lean as opposed to being obese, has a greater protective effect against cancer,? said Tim R. Nagy, Ph.D., UAB professor of nutrition sciences and study principal investigator. ?Excess calorie retention, rather than consumption, confers cancer risk.?