London: Being obese or having an abnormally high weight during youth increases the risks of 18 types of cancer, medical experts have stated.
According to media sources, research studies revealed that individuals who are prone to obesity are more likely to develop various cancers such as breast, bowel, kidney, and lung cancer. However, a new significant study has now revealed a link between higher weight and leukemia, while individuals who did not use tobacco were also found to have a correlation with bladder, head, and neck cancer.
The authors of the research stated that cancer types previously not considered to have a connection with obesity were now understood to be related. Previously, the effects of cancer caused by obesity were overlooked. In this new study published in Nature Communications, researchers examined the data of over 260,000 Spanish citizens who were 40 years old or younger and cancer-free in 2009.
The researchers examined the individuals’ body mass index (BMI) data throughout their lives. In previous research, the single BMI score was used to determine the association between weight and cancer.
In the research, participating individuals were examined for several years to determine whether they developed cancer during that period or not. During the study, approximately 225,396 individuals were diagnosed with cancer. Spanish researchers observed that individuals who were obese or overweight during their early youth had a higher likelihood of developing cancer.
