EXCESS WEIGHT and obesity are linked to around one in every 25 cancers, a major international study reveals.

Lead researchers Dr Melina Arnold estimated that a quarter of all obesity-related cancers in 2012 were linked to the rising average body mass index (BMI) in the population since 1982, and were therefore “realistically avoidable”.

The association between weight and cancer is due to various factors including the increased levels of insulin in obese people which can promote the development of some tumors. Fat cells also produce hormones that can stimulate cell growth.

The study of 184 countries found weight causes about 481,000 new cancer cases a year globally in adults – or 3.6pc of cancers worldwide.

The burden is far higher in more developed countries, with almost two-thirds (64pc) of these obesity-related cancers occurring in North America and Europe.

The findings reveal that obesity-related cancer is a greater problem for women than men, largely due to disease in the womb and uterus as well as post-menopausal breast cancers.

[Source:Independent.ie ]