Research
Hormonal
Obesity is a major risk factor for cancer, accounting for approximately 20% of all malignancies, with the strongest evidence linking it to endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma, colorectal, postmenopausal breast, prostate, and renal cancers.
Maintain a healthy body weight through diet and physical activity, as excess adiposity is a proven driver for several common cancers. Focus on reducing visceral fat, as abdominal obesity is strongly linked to higher cancer mortality.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
The number of cancer cases caused by being obese is estimated to be 20%... Reports from the International Agency for Research into Cancer and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) have shown that the strongest evidence exists for an association of obesity with the following cancer types: endometrial, esophageal adenocarcinoma, colorectal, postmenopausal breast, prostate, and renal
Why this rating
Based on large-scale epidemiological studies, meta-analyses, and consensus from IARC and WCRF.
Source
Obesity as a Major Risk Factor for Cancer
Giovanni De Pergola et al. · Journal of Obesity · 2013
DOI 10.1155/2013/291546
narrative_reviewCited 951×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Hyperinsulinemia and elevated Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) levels, driven by obesity and insulin resistance, promote cancer cell growth, proliferation, and metastasis.Strong
- Weight loss, particularly through bariatric surgery or intentional lifestyle changes, significantly reduces the incidence of obesity-related cancers.Good
- Adipokines, specifically leptin and adiponectin, play opposing roles in cancer development, with leptin promoting tumor growth and adiponectin offering protection.Good
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