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Inflammation and Obesity
 Other scientists are seeking to determine if inflammation may be one reason that obesity has been linked to higher cancer risk. Research now suggests that the body’s fat cells produce cytokines (proteins that promote low-grade inflammation) and that the distribution of body fat might also play a role.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that one measure of inflammation increased by more than 50 percent in obese women whose fat was mainly in their hips and thighs (“pear-shaped”), and by more than 400 percent in obese women with significant waistline fat (“apple-shaped”).
Interestingly, some studies now show that regular exercise may have precisely the opposite effect on the immune system, and may reduce levels of inflammatory proteins. This might help to explain why research has linked regular physical activity with lower cancer risk.
Research on Plant-Based Diets
Still other scientists, including many sponsored by the American Institute for Cancer Research, are investigating how an overall plant-based diet might help keep inflammation in check. Antioxidant nutrients and
phyto-chemicals in fruits and vegetables protect cells’ DNA from damage that can lead to cancer; and some evidence now suggests they may also lower production of inflammation-promoting hormones. In fact, a wide variety of natural
phyto-chemicals found in fruits and vegetables are under investigation for possible COX-2 lowering effects.
 All of this evidence linking diet to the kind of chronic inflammation associated with cancer risk is still preliminary, however, and it would be premature to change our diets if this was the only reason to do so. Of course, it isn’t the only reason — a plant-based diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, maintenance of a healthy weight and regular exercise is already a strategy that is estimated to lower cancer risk by 30 to 40 percent. We know that it works — the incoming research about inflammation may soon help us get a better idea of some of the how and why.
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