Terri Clark once said, “When someone has cancer, the whole family and everyone who loves them does, too.” Cancer is a devastating illness, which is said to have no cause, but perhaps there are some ways to lessen the chance of developing a cancer like Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, is a cancer that has become increasingly prominent since the 1970s. Similarly, obesity, a recently coined disease, is a concern that has doctors around the globe desperately trying to spread awareness and caution. Studies have shown that there are various ways that obesity can affect NHL.

Studies conducted on the relation between obesity and NHL show that persons with a greater body mass index seem to have an increased chance of developing NHL. One example of this is a case-control study conducted between Asian and non-Asian populations. The subjects of this study were people who had reached early adulthood. Researchers chose this age range because they felt this range would avoid the issue of weight gain in older people. The conclusion of this study was that there was an average of a five lbs. increase in the subject and a marginal increase in the chance of developing NHL which led to the conclusion that, “There seems to be an increased risk of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for people with a body mass index over 40 kg/m^2.” There are many theories as to why the studies conclude with these results. “One possible theory,” states Brenda Birmann, a doctor and researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, “is that obesity increases the immune environment that is favorable to the uncontrolled growth of lymphocytes.” In other words, obesity causes the body to become weaker in some aspects therefore causing a better environment for the growth of lymphocytes.

Unhealthy diet seems to be another factor that can lead to an increased risk of developing NHL. Stella Koutros, who researched NHL and obesity has written that, “Vitamin B(6) intake was also associated with lower risk of NHL overall and of marginal zone lymphoma.” The observations show that a lack of nutrients plays a big part in the probability developing NHL.

Lastly, the final factor that seems to contribute to the hypothesis that obesity can cause NHL is the trends seen in the observations that various organizations such as the Washington Post, FDA, AMA, and the NIA have conducted. The observations and trends have shown that both obesity and lymphoma have risen in the Unites States drastically. According to experts from the National Institute of Cancer, the rates will most likely keep rising. Based on the results of these observations, experts have concluded that at least 4% of cancer in men and 7% of cancer in women is due to obesity.

In conclusion, obesity seems to affect the development of NHL. Hopefully, this revelation will give people another reason to keep taking their vitamins and staying healthy!