Is Obesity the Cause of All Cancer Types?

Summary: An increasing number of studies suggest that obesity or metabolic disorder has now emerged as the leading cancer risk factor. New studies indicate that obesity is perhaps the most significant cause of cancer and that by managing obesity, many cancer cases can be prevented.

 Recently, an expert commentary was published in one of the most reputed medical journals in the world, The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. It raised quite a valid question. This was the opinion of researchers from the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit – Imperial College London and the Institute for Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom.

In our blogs, we have frequently raised this question. It is time to realize that cancer is not inevitable or unpreventable. The more we learn about cancer, the more we understand that perhaps most cancers are preventable.

Just a few decades back, researchers thought that only some cancers were preventable, as most occur due to non-modifiable risk factors like genetics and aging. However, as the cancer incidence grows and cancer has become one of the leading causes of mortality globally, researchers have started realizing that it has cancer is more preventable than they ever thought.

In most cases, perhaps in the majority of the cases, cancer occurs due to modifiable risk factors, and the rising obesity rates are the most significant reason for the rising number of cancer cases.

It is vital to understand that in Western nations, including the US, more than 70% of people are overweight. In the US, more than 40% are obese. Since obesity is now recognized as a disease that must be treated, it means that obesity is the most widespread health disorder.

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Traditionally, people have identified obesity as a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some other ailments. However, now science is increasingly realizing that obesity is also a risk factor for many cancer types, perhaps not for all cancers, but for most.

For a long, not only people but even doctors have imagined obesity as merely an accumulation of relatively inert fat tissues. However, now science knows that obesity is also about hormonal or endocrinal disruptions, chronic inflammation, and much broader metabolic changes.

If we look at the table above, especially in the left column, we can see that, in fact, most common cancer types have a strong association with obesity. There is mounting evidence from epidemiological studies showing that these cancers are much more common in obese people than those with normal body weight.

Previous studies showed that obesity significantly contributed to about one-fourth of all cancer cases. However, now new studies suggest that these numbers are much higher at 40% or more. As obesity continues to be a significant health issue, it is likely that even these estimates will change. That is why we believe, based on some sound scientific evidence and on the basis of ongoing scientific studies, that obesity plays a role in the development of the majority of cancer cases.

We can make a few conclusions from these latest findings. Firstly, obesity or metabolic disorders are among the leading cancer causes. Secondly, most cancer cases are preventable.

Metabolic disorder is the primary contributor to most non-infectious diseases. So, by losing body weight, normalizing lipid profile, controlling blood pressure, and reducing chronic inflammation, one can minimize the risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke, respiratory conditions, dementia, mood disorders, arthritis, and even most cancer types.

Source:

Gunter, M. J., & Gonzalez, A. B. de. (2024). Is obesity a cause of all cancer types? The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.101110