The obesity epidemic is affecting people of all ages and has become one of the primary public health concerns in this country, and rightfully so. Being overweight has been linked to a number of chronic health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Now, a new study has found that excessive abdominal fat around the belly may also promote the development of ovarian cancer.

The reason for this is because fat cells that grow in the stomach and intestines are a rich source of energy-dense lipids, which provide nutrients for ovarian cancer cells to grow. Ovarian cancer tends to spread to the area of the abdominal cavity as opposed to organs that are located further away. In fact, by the time that the cancer has been diagnosed, it is not uncommon for the cancer cells to have already migrated to the pad of fat in the stomach (known as the omentum), even exceeding the growth of the original cancer cells.

To better understand the role that these fat cells play in cancer development, researchers performed a number of experiments to help clarify how certain mechanisms may allow these cells may exert their influence. The first step was to identify biological signalling pathways. Using animal models, scientists found that the fat cells of the omentum emit signalling proteins that seem to lure the cancer cells to them. When ovarian cancer cells introduced into otherwise healthy systems, they migrated to the omentum quickly, sometimes in as little as 20 minutes.

Once there, the cancer cells quickly adapt to make use of the nutrients provided by the fat cells, thriving in the fat-rich environment. In some instances, the tumor can develop to the point to where it completely takes over the omentum, becoming a solid tumor mass. Some researchers even see the cells of the omentum as the biological equivalent of high octane gasoline which allow the cancer cells to proliferate at a higher rate than normal, leading to its spread and the formation of tumors.

Researchers have focused their attention on a specific signalling protein known as FABP4. When they compared the original tumor cells with those that had established themselves in the omentum, they found that the cancer cells in the omentum produced high levels of FABP4, whereas cells removed from the fat did not. With this in mind, scientists inhibited the functioning of FABP4 and found that the cancer cell growth had been drastically reduced.

Researchers hope that their findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, will lead to better ways to help combat the spread of not just ovarian cancer, but all cancers that occur where fat tissue is prevalent, including the breast and colon cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women, and is the leading cause of reproductive cancer death. It's cause is unknown. If you have questions or concerns about cancer or obesity, speak with your physician. For more information about ovarian cancer, visit the website for the National Cancer Institute.