We know that being overweight or obese can have grave consequences for our health, including developing cancer.
Now scientists have highlighted the forms of the disease where the risk is greatest the heavier we get.
Published in the Lancet medical journal, the largest study to date on this issue, with five million people living in the UK, monitored their health over a period of seven years.
Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found for every 13-16 kilos of extra weight an average adult gains our risk of susceptibility to six cancers increase.
Here they are in appearance of highest to lowest increased risk:
– Cancers of the uterus
– Gallbladder
– Kidney
– Cervix
– Thyroid
– Leukaemia
People who had a high body mass index (BMI) – calculated using weight and height – were also more likely to develop cancer in the:
– Liver
– Colon
– Ovaries
– Breasts
Interestingly a higher BMI was associated with a lower chance of getting prostate cancer and some types of cancer showed no link at all to carrying excess weight.
“There was a lot of variation in the effect of BMI on different cancers,” Dr Krishnan Bhskaran, the study’s lead researcher, said.
“This variation tells us BMI must affect cancer risk through a number of different processes, depending on cancer type,” she added.
A spokesman for Cancer Research UK believes regardless of the mixed results, the message is clear “carrying excess weight increases your risk of developing cancer.”
“Keeping a healthy weight reduces cancer risk and the best way to do this is through eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly.”
