Cancer Risk

Being obese or overweight has been proven to increase the risk for serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, including cancer.

The types of cancer that are believed to be more likely to occur in obese people include:

• colorectal cancer
• kidney cancer (twice as likely in obese men and women)
• endometrial cancer in women
• postmenopausal breast cancer in women (twice as likely in obese women)
• gallbladder cancer
• thyroid cancer in women
• esophageal cancer

It’s believed that the increased risk for esophageal cancer comes from the likelihood of obese people to suffer from chronic acid reflux, a condition that can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated. Similarly, colorectal cancer may be more prominent in obese populations because of a lack of physical activity, which has been shown to help protect against colorectal cancer. While physicians have been able to speculate about the exact link between obesity and some types of cancer, the underlying mechanisms of the obesity-carcinogenesis relationship still remain unclear.

It does seem that obese women are more at risk for developing and dying of cancer than obese men. The American Cancer Society estimates cancers linked to obesity made up approximately 51% of all new cancer diagnoses among women in 2002, and 28% of cancer-related deaths. Among men, cancers linked with obesity made up 14% of new cancer diagnoses and 13% of cancer-related deaths in 2002.

Evidence suggests that maintaining a healthy weight can help you reduce your risk for serious illnesses, including cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight can also increase your chances of survival if you should develop cancer.