Study: Almost half of cancer cases tied to obesity

Recent findings reveal that nearly half of all cancer cases may be associated with obesity, highlighting the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and a balanced diet. This extensive study, conducted by Sweden’s Lund University, involved monitoring 4.1 million participants over a span of about 40 years. The researchers meticulously tracked the participants’ weight and lifestyle habits, with findings reported by The Telegraph on Friday, May 10.

During the research period, the scientists identified over 332,000 cancer cases. They found that 40% of these cases had potential links to obesity, discovering connections to 32 different types of cancer. This is a significant increase from previous international research that linked obesity to 13 cancer types.

The results of this groundbreaking study are set to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, underlining their significant public health implications. The researchers noted, “Established obesity-related cancers accounted for 25 percent of all cancer cases in this study, and the proportion increased to 40 percent when potential obesity-related cancers were included.” They suggested that a considerable number of cancer cases could potentially be prevented by maintaining a normal weight.

Professor Jason Halford, president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, praised the study for its robust, large-scale analysis. He emphasized the need for further research but acknowledged that the study supports the growing belief that obesity could be a risk factor for many more cancer types than previously confirmed. “As always, more research is needed but it reveals what many studying the links between cancer and obesity have suspected; that obesity is likely to be a risk factor for many more types of cancer than we had evidence for before,” Professor Halford stated.