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Excess Weight Fuels Over 10% of Cancers
18 Jul
Summary
- Excess weight may cause over 11.5% of all cancer cases.
- Abdominal fat measures like waist circumference are more telling.
- Obesity's cancer impact may be greater in women and younger adults.
New research suggests excess weight may be responsible for more than 11.5% of all cancer cases, a figure substantially higher than prior estimates.
This analysis, leveraging UK Biobank data, indicates that traditional measures like BMI may underestimate the risk. Factors such as abdominal fat, measured by waist circumference, provide a more accurate assessment of cancer risk.
The study also identified unintentional weight loss due to undiagnosed cancer as a potential distorting factor in earlier research. By accounting for this, the link between excess weight and cancer became more pronounced.
Lead researchers highlight that as obesity rates rise globally, effective obesity prevention and treatment strategies could play a critical role in future cancer prevention efforts.
