Excess weight is an important cause of rising cancer rates among the under-50s
A new study found that being overweight or obese is a significant cause of rising cancer rates among younger adults in England. The research identified 11 cancers linked to excess weight that are increasing among adults aged 20-49.
Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Imperial College London examined cancer incidence trends across 22 cancer types in women and 21 in men using national cancer registry data from 2001-2019. They found that while rates of several cancers have been increasing in younger adults, most established behavioural risk factors remained stable or declined. Overweight and obesity, which have increased steadily since 1995, were identified as key factors in the rise of cases. The largest increases in obesity were seen in younger women, with a 2.6% relative increase per year since 1995. The study showed that increases in body mass index alone are not sufficient to explain the overall rise in cancer incidence, pointing to additional, suspected or currently unknown causes. Established risk factors accounted for an estimated 40-50% of cases of certain cancers in 2019.
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