Research
Hormonal
Abdominal obesity is a significant risk factor for endometrial cancer, with risk increasing in a dose-dependent manner with weight gain, largely mediated by 'unopposed estrogen' from increased bioavailable oestrogens and low progesterone.
Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most effective ways to reduce endometrial cancer risk. This risk is driven by hormonal imbalances, specifically high oestrogen and low progesterone. Weight loss, especially reducing abdominal fat, can significantly lower this risk.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Adult obesity is associated with a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of endometrial cancer... The 'unopposed estrogen' hypothesis proposes that endometrial cancer may develop as a result of the mitogenic effects of oestrogens when these are insufficiently counterbalanced by progesterone.
Why this rating
Based on large prospective studies (EPIC) and systematic reviews, with clear dose-response relationships.
Source
Obesity and cancer
Tobias Pischon et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2008
DOI 10.1017/s0029665108006976
narrative_reviewCited 322×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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