Int J Cancer 2001;91:421-30
Bergstrom A, Pisani P, Tenet V et al.
There is growing evidence that excess body weight increases the risk of cancer at several sites, including the kidneys, the lining of the womb, the large bowel, prostate, gallbladder and breast in post-menopausal women. The proportion of all cancers attributable to overweight has, however, never been systematically estimated.
The authors of this study reviewed the epidemiological literature and quantitatively summarised the relationship between excess weight and the risk of developing cancer at the 6 sites listed above. Estimates were then combined with sex-specific estimates of the prevalence of overweight [body mass index (BMI) 25-29 kg/m(2)] and obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m(2)) in each country in the European Union to obtain the proportion of cancers attributable to excess weight.
The study reported that overall, excess body mass accounts for 5% of all cancers in the European Union, 3% in men and 6% in women, corresponding to 27,000 male and 45,000 female cancer cases yearly. The largest number of attributable cases was for colon cancer (21,500 annual cases), followed by endometrium (lining of the womb - 14,000 cases) and breast (12,800 cases). It was concluded that 36,000 cases could be avoided by halving the prevalence of overweight and obese people in Europe.
