Overweight and obese people are more than 10% more likely to develop cancerregardless of whether they have a cardiometabolic disorder, according to research funded by the World Cancer Research Fund and published in the journal BMC Medicine.

As part of the research, a sample of more than 570,000 European adults was studied. A body mass index greater than 25 is a risk factor for at least 13 types of cancer, including breast cancer in postmenopausal women, colon, liver, kidney, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. The researchers looked at whether a high body mass index alone is associated with increased risk, or whether the presence of other obesity-related conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, play a role.

In people without cardiometabolic disorder, obesity was associated with an 11% increased risk of cancer. A similar increased risk was observed among participants who had a cardiometabolic disorder. Those with type 2 diabetes had an 11% increased risk and those with cardiovascular disease a 17% increased risk.

The findings demonstrate the increased risk of cancer associated with an increased body mass index, regardless of whether the individual has other cardiometabolic conditions.

It also finds that having cardiovascular disease alongside a higher body mass index is associated with an even greater risk of cancer underscoring the need for obesity prevention to reduce cancer risk in these population groups.

See the scientific publication here.