In a new study, researchers found that the effect of being overweight and obese on the risk of cancer is at least twice as large as previously thought.
The research was done by an international research team which included University of Bristol scientists.
The team conducted genetic analyses on eight common obesity-related cancer types.
They compared the genetic Mendelian randomization estimates of the link between body mass index (BMI) and cancer risk with the estimates from previous studies.
Excess body fatness is already recognized as an important cause of cancer and has been estimated to account for 6% of all cancers.
According to the results of this new analysis, the proportion of cancers attributable to overweight and obesity is, in fact, much higher.
The team says the importance of these analyses is that they suggest that the effect of being overweight on cancer risk has been underestimated in the past.
Obesity plays an even more important role in cancer than previously suggested.
The lead author of the study is Richard Martin, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Bristol Medical School.
The study is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
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