Esophageal cancer and its obesity link

March 16, 3:31 PMWeight Loss ExaminerGail Gedan Spencer

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The death of actor/political activist Ron Silver is all over the news today. He died from the effects of esophageal cancer. From all accounts, he was a healthy and fit person, but here's the scary part about the disease -- cases of it are on the increase and the majority of people diagnosed are obese.

"If current trends continue, with roughly a doubling in incidence rates every 10 years, esophageal carcinoma will become one of the leading causes of cancer death in the not too distant future," says William J. Blot, PhD, a cancer epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville. He is quoted in THIS article on WebMD.

If your diet is low in fruits and vegetables is low or you are obese, you are at greater risk for the serious form of cancer, reports Mayo Clinic Online. Another risk factor is chronic acid reflux disease. What happens is the stomach acid that rushes upward into the esophagus erodes its lining. If the erosion goes on long enough, people can develop what is known as Barrett's esophagus. The cell changes to the esophagus (cells similar to your stomach's glandular cells actually grow in the lower esophagus) put you at greater risk for developing cancer.

Why do I care so much about the esophagus? A few years ago, I developed a wicked bad sore throat that wouldn't go away no matter what I did and even stumped my regular doctor. So after a trip to the ear-nose-throat doctor, he discovered that my acid reflux disease was burning my throat. After a delightful tiny camera journey through my nose down to my stomach, we discovered that everything was OK, just a little irritated. He also found a small hiatal hernia. With those, the flap leading from the esophagus to the stomach doesn't close all the way and can cause reflux. Turns out the hiatal hernia runs in my family, as does wicked heartburn. Even my perfectly thin and healthy 10-year-old gets it from time to time, usually after dining in restaurants.

I've been on Nexium ever since and have been making sure not to eat too soon before bedtime, keeping portions small and most importantly losing weight.