30 kg/m2) is associated
with all-cause mortality, disability, and specific diseases such as coronary
artery disease, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. Less is known, however, about the
relation between obesity and cancer.Obese women had increased risk for all cancers and 10 of 17 types of cancers.
A growing body of evidence indicates that obesity
(body-mass index, 30 kg/m2) is associated
with all-cause mortality, disability, and specific diseases such as coronary
artery disease, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. Less is known, however, about the
relation between obesity and cancer.
U.K. investigators examined the relation between BMI and cancer incidence and mortality in more than 1.2 million women (age range, 50–64). During about 5 years of follow-up for cancer incidence and 7 years for cancer mortality, increasing BMI was associated with increased risk for 10 of 17 specific types of cancers (endometrial, kidney, pancreatic, ovarian, postmenopausal breast, and premenopausal colon cancers, and esophageal adenocarcinoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma), in analyses adjusted for potential confounders. The relation between BMI and mortality from all cancers and from specific cancers was similar to that for incidence.
Comment: In women aged 50 to 64,
increasing BMI was associated with increased risk for and mortality from all
cancers combined and from many specific cancers. These results are inconsistent
with a recent study that included men and younger participants (age, 25) and reported no relation between
overweight (BMI, 25–30) or obesity and mortality from all cancers combined (Journal
Watch Nov 15 2007). However, in that study, obesity was associated with
increased mortality from cancers considered to be "obesity-related" (i.e.,
colon, breast, esophageal, uterine, ovarian, kidney, and pancreatic cancers).
Given the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity, the results have obvious public
health implications.
— Paul S. Mueller, MD, MPH, FACP
Dr. Mueller is Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.
Published in Journal Watch General Medicine December 6, 2007
Reeves GK et al. Cancer incidence and mortality in relation to body mass index in the Million Women Study: Cohort study. BMJ 2007 Dec 1; 335:1134.