Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have found a strong link between obesity and a blood condition called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP).
This condition could increase the risk of blood cancer. Their findings were shared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
What is CHIP?
CHIP is a condition where blood cells gather genetic mutations, which could lead to blood cancer. While CHIP often shows up in older people, we don’t fully understand what makes a person more likely to get it.
The Connection between CHIP and Obesity
The study found that being overweight or obese might raise a person’s chance of getting CHIP.
This is because carrying extra weight can cause inflammation in the body and change the bone marrow, which is where blood cells are made.
As a result, a person could be more likely to get blood cancer and heart disease, said Santhosh Pasupuleti, Ph.D., one of the researchers.
This finding could open new doors for treating people who have CHIP and are obese.
Study Findings
The researchers looked at data from over 47,000 people with CHIP. They found that about 5.8% of these people had a larger waist-to-hip ratio, which is linked to obesity.
The researchers also looked at mice that were obese and had CHIP. They found that these mice had mutated blood cells that grew more quickly.
This suggests that maintaining a healthy weight and keeping inflammation in check could lower the risk of getting blood cancer as we age.
Looking Forward
The researchers are now focused on finding ways to slow down the growth of mutated blood cells in people with CHIP.
They’ve found that common medications for high blood pressure and diabetes might help control this growth.
Future studies will look at people taking these medications to see if they are less likely to get blood cancer over time.
In addition, the researchers tried out different drug combinations to target the mutant cells in CHIP. This could lead to new ways of treating the condition.
Overall, understanding how CHIP and obesity are connected could help us find out who is at risk of diseases like leukemia, and find new treatments for these diseases.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people, and early time-restricted eating could help lose weight.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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