Key points from article :
Being overweight as a young adult can increase the risk of developing 18 cancers.
Prior studies showed that overweight/obese people have high risk of various cancers including breast, bowel, kidney and pancreatic.
Researchers examined lifetime BMI data of more than 2.6 million cancer-free Spanish adults aged 40 and under.
Around 225,396 people were diagnosed with cancer during the 9-year study period.
Longer duration, greater degree, and younger age of onset of overweight/obesity during early adulthood are positively associated with risk of 18 cancers.
Excess weight is now linked to leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and among never-smokers, bladder and head and neck cancers.
“Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life is one of the most important things people can do to reduce their cancer risk, and early prevention in adulthood is key,” said Heinz Freisling, one of the study’s co-leaders.
"Study findings support a re-evaluation of the cancer burden associated with overweight and obesity, which currently is likely underestimated."
Study by IARC-WHO published in Nature Communications.
