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A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of developing 10 common cancers, according to a study of more than 5 million adults in the UK.
The research revealed an association between BMI and leukemia, as well as certain solid tumor malignancies, but no association for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Krishnan Bhaskaran, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK, and his colleagues reported these findings in The Lancet.
“The number of people who are overweight or obese is rapidly increasing, both in the UK and worldwide,” Dr Bhaskaran said. “It is well recognized that this is likely to cause more diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our results show that, if these trends continue, we can also expect to see substantially more cancers as a result.”
Using data from general practitioner records in the UK’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Dr Bhaskaran and his colleagues identified 5.24 million individuals aged 16 and older who were cancer-free and had been followed for an average of 7.5 years.
The researchers assessed the subjects’ risk of developing 22 of the most common cancers, which represent 90% of the cancers diagnosed in the UK. The team evaluated cancer risk according to BMI after adjusting for individual factors such as age, sex, smoking status, and socioeconomic status.
A total of 166,955 people developed 1 of the 22 cancers studied during the follow-up period.
BMI was associated with 17 of the cancer types—leukemia and melanoma, as well as cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, lung, breast, cervix, uterus, ovaries, prostate, kidney, and thyroid.
BMI was not associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or cancers of the rectum, bladder, or brain/central nervous system.
Each 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was clearly linked with a higher risk of cancers of the uterus (62% increase), gallbladder (31%), kidney (25%), cervix (10%), thyroid (9%), and leukemia (9%).
Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver (19% increase), colon (10%), ovarian (9%), and breast cancers (5%), but the effects on these cancers varied by underlying BMI and by factors such as sex and menopausal status.
Even within normal BMI ranges, a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of some cancers.
On the other hand, there was some evidence that subjects with a high BMI were at a slightly reduced risk of prostate cancer and premenopausal breast cancer.
“There was a lot of variation in the effects of BMI on different cancers, ” Dr Bhaskaran explained. “For example, risk of cancer of the uterus increased substantially at higher body mass index. For other cancers, we saw more modest increases in risk, or no effect at all.”
“For some cancers, like breast cancer occurring in younger women before the menopause, there even seemed to be a lower risk at higher BMI. This variation tells us that BMI must affect cancer risk through a number of different processes, depending on the cancer type.”
In a linked comment article, Peter Campbell, PhD, of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia, said this research underscores the need for policy changes to reduce the incidence of obesity and being overweight in the UK and the rest of the world. 
A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of developing 10 common cancers, according to a study of more than 5 million adults in the UK.
The research revealed an association between BMI and leukemia, as well as certain solid tumor malignancies, but no association for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Krishnan Bhaskaran, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK, and his colleagues reported these findings in The Lancet.
“The number of people who are overweight or obese is rapidly increasing, both in the UK and worldwide,” Dr Bhaskaran said. “It is well recognized that this is likely to cause more diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our results show that, if these trends continue, we can also expect to see substantially more cancers as a result.”
Using data from general practitioner records in the UK’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Dr Bhaskaran and his colleagues identified 5.24 million individuals aged 16 and older who were cancer-free and had been followed for an average of 7.5 years.
The researchers assessed the subjects’ risk of developing 22 of the most common cancers, which represent 90% of the cancers diagnosed in the UK. The team evaluated cancer risk according to BMI after adjusting for individual factors such as age, sex, smoking status, and socioeconomic status.
A total of 166,955 people developed 1 of the 22 cancers studied during the follow-up period.
BMI was associated with 17 of the cancer types—leukemia and melanoma, as well as cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, lung, breast, cervix, uterus, ovaries, prostate, kidney, and thyroid.
BMI was not associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or cancers of the rectum, bladder, or brain/central nervous system.
Each 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was clearly linked with a higher risk of cancers of the uterus (62% increase), gallbladder (31%), kidney (25%), cervix (10%), thyroid (9%), and leukemia (9%).
Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver (19% increase), colon (10%), ovarian (9%), and breast cancers (5%), but the effects on these cancers varied by underlying BMI and by factors such as sex and menopausal status.
Even within normal BMI ranges, a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of some cancers.
On the other hand, there was some evidence that subjects with a high BMI were at a slightly reduced risk of prostate cancer and premenopausal breast cancer.
“There was a lot of variation in the effects of BMI on different cancers, ” Dr Bhaskaran explained. “For example, risk of cancer of the uterus increased substantially at higher body mass index. For other cancers, we saw more modest increases in risk, or no effect at all.”
“For some cancers, like breast cancer occurring in younger women before the menopause, there even seemed to be a lower risk at higher BMI. This variation tells us that BMI must affect cancer risk through a number of different processes, depending on the cancer type.”
In a linked comment article, Peter Campbell, PhD, of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia, said this research underscores the need for policy changes to reduce the incidence of obesity and being overweight in the UK and the rest of the world.
A higher body mass index (BMI) increases the risk of developing 10 common cancers, according to a study of more than 5 million adults in the UK.
The research revealed an association between BMI and leukemia, as well as certain solid tumor malignancies, but no association for multiple myeloma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Krishnan Bhaskaran, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK, and his colleagues reported these findings in The Lancet.
“The number of people who are overweight or obese is rapidly increasing, both in the UK and worldwide,” Dr Bhaskaran said. “It is well recognized that this is likely to cause more diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Our results show that, if these trends continue, we can also expect to see substantially more cancers as a result.”
Using data from general practitioner records in the UK’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Dr Bhaskaran and his colleagues identified 5.24 million individuals aged 16 and older who were cancer-free and had been followed for an average of 7.5 years.
The researchers assessed the subjects’ risk of developing 22 of the most common cancers, which represent 90% of the cancers diagnosed in the UK. The team evaluated cancer risk according to BMI after adjusting for individual factors such as age, sex, smoking status, and socioeconomic status.
A total of 166,955 people developed 1 of the 22 cancers studied during the follow-up period.
BMI was associated with 17 of the cancer types—leukemia and melanoma, as well as cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, lung, breast, cervix, uterus, ovaries, prostate, kidney, and thyroid.
BMI was not associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or cancers of the rectum, bladder, or brain/central nervous system.
Each 5 kg/m² increase in BMI was clearly linked with a higher risk of cancers of the uterus (62% increase), gallbladder (31%), kidney (25%), cervix (10%), thyroid (9%), and leukemia (9%).
Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver (19% increase), colon (10%), ovarian (9%), and breast cancers (5%), but the effects on these cancers varied by underlying BMI and by factors such as sex and menopausal status.
Even within normal BMI ranges, a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of some cancers.
On the other hand, there was some evidence that subjects with a high BMI were at a slightly reduced risk of prostate cancer and premenopausal breast cancer.
“There was a lot of variation in the effects of BMI on different cancers, ” Dr Bhaskaran explained. “For example, risk of cancer of the uterus increased substantially at higher body mass index. For other cancers, we saw more modest increases in risk, or no effect at all.”
“For some cancers, like breast cancer occurring in younger women before the menopause, there even seemed to be a lower risk at higher BMI. This variation tells us that BMI must affect cancer risk through a number of different processes, depending on the cancer type.”
In a linked comment article, Peter Campbell, PhD, of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia, said this research underscores the need for policy changes to reduce the incidence of obesity and being overweight in the UK and the rest of the world.