Being obese or even overweight may increase a person’s risk of developing up to a dozen different types of cancer, European researchers report in a new study.Doctors have long suspected a link between weight gain and certain cancers, including colon and breast cancers. But the new study, published Friday in the journal Lancet, suggests it could also increase chances for cancer of the esophagus, thyroid, kidney, uterus and gall bladder, among others.
While the study suggests a link, there is no definitive proof that being fat in itself causes cancer.
“To make the link between cause and effect, we need to tick several boxes,” said Dr. Andrew Renehan, the study’s lead author and senior lecturer at the School of Cancer Studies at the University of Manchester. “This study begins to tick the first two or three boxes, but more research is needed to confirm it.”
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