Excess body weight contributes in up to 20 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Given that obesity is considerably more controllable than many types of cancer, it stands to reason that managing weight and staying fit are promising ways to cut the nation’s cancer rate and save lives.However, science and medicine need to know more about the causes of obesity and why weight loss is so difficult for most people. What is certain though, is that as a person’s body mass increases, so do the risks for many types of cancer. Those include cancers of the colon, kidney, endometrium, esophagus, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Overweight and obesity also raise the risk for breast cancer in post-menopausal women.Scientists and clinicians worldwide continue to research the causes and controls for the many types of cancer. Given that obesity plays such a prominent role in cancer – even in largely preventable varieties like colon cancer – more investigation into the factors that link obesity with cancer holds the promise of further reducing cancer rates.
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