People with excess weight, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases are at higher risk of cancer

A new study by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found that having a high body mass index increases cancer risk by 17% for people who also have cardiovascular (heart) diseases. The study was published in BMC Medicine.

The study, the largest of its kind, gathered multinational data from more than 577 000 adults and investigated the association between body mass index, cardiometabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Previous research has focused on cancer risk within general populations.

The results showed that people who are living with excess weight, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases, such as a stroke, are more likely to develop cancer, particularly of the bowel, breast, and liver. Preventing obesity could lead to a greater reduction in cancer risk among people who also have cardiovascular diseases than among the general population.

Fontvieille E, Viallon V, Recalde M, Cordova R, Jansana A, Peruchet-Noray L, et al.
Body mass index and cancer risk among adults with and without cardiometabolic diseases: evidence from the EPIC and UK Biobank prospective cohort studies
BMC Med, Published online 23 November 2023;
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-03114-z

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