Snoring increases five-fold risk of suffering from cancer

Scientists have reached alarming findings from new research: snoring may increase your risk of cancer by up to 5 times!

Snoring and other breathing problems during sleep can lead to deprivation of oxygen the body for several hours. Researchers believe that the low level of oxygen can cause the development of cancerous tumors by promoting the development of blood vessels that feed them.

Experts say that in the future, doctors can prevent cancer by treating snoring.
The study was conducted in the U.S. on a sample of 1,500 people. They have been studied over the 22 years, research focusing on their sleep problems and following cancer incidence rate.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that people suffering from severe breathing problems during sleep were 4.8 times more likely to develop cancer than patients who had no such problems. Those with moderate breathing problems were twice as likely to suffer from cancer and those with minor problems had a 10% higher risk.

The most common condition encountered by researchers is sleep apnea is characterized by repeated breathing pauses. This condition normally causes snoring and cause repeated awakening patients.

Researchers already knew that snoring is associated with other diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes. This is the first study to suggest that respiratory problems that occur during sleep and lead to cancer.
The study was confirmed by experiments with mice, which have shown that intermittent hypoxia stimulates the appearance of blood vessels that “feed” cancer tumors (process called “angiogenesis”).

Dr. Javier Nieto, lead investigator, said that “evidence provided by animal experiments and this new epidemiology study are very convincing.”
Research results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society, held yesterday in San Francisco.

Source: Independent