Face fats
New research published in the Lancet shows that gaining weight can dramatically increase the risk of several different cancers. Weight gain in men increased their risk of cancers of the colon, kidney, thyroid and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Their chances of developing rectal cancer and malignant melanoma also rose. Weight gain in women increased the risk of endometrial, gallbladder, oesophageal adenocarcinoma and kidney cancer. The risk of women getting post-menopausal breast, pancreatic, thyroid, and colon cancers also rose. The risk of leukaemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma rose in both sexes.
Renehan AG, Tyson M, Egger M, Heller RF, Zwahlen M. 2008. Body-mass index and incidence of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. Lancet. 371 (9612) 569-578.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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