Body Mass Index and Cancer Risk Factors
Summary
Body mass index (BMI) is widely used to categorise weight status in adults and serves as a proxy for adiposity. Excess adiposity is implicated in the development of numerous cancers through metabolic, hormonal and inflammatory pathways. Increased adipose tissue alters circulating levels of insulin, oestrogens and adipokines, while chronic inflammation and oxidative stress create an environment conducive to tumour initiation and progression. Epidemiological studies have linked higher BMI to elevated risks of established obesity‐related cancers—including those of the endometrium, colon, kidney, liver and breast in postmenopausal women—and emerging associations with haematological malignancies and head and neck cancers. Sex and life‐course factors modulate these associations: fat distribution differs between men and women, and the timing and duration of overweight across adulthood influence risk magnitude. Globally, rising obesity prevalence has contributed substantially to cancer incidence, underscoring the need for prevention efforts aimed at weight management, early surveillance in high‐risk groups and targeted intervention strategies.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent analyses of longitudinal electronic health records for 2.6 million adults in Catalonia have demonstrated that the duration, degree and early onset of overweight and obesity are more strongly associated with risk of 18 cancer types than single baseline BMI measurements. This work identifies positive associations with haematological cancers such as leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as cancers not previously classified as obesity‐related, including head and neck and bladder cancers among never-smokers. The findings support public health strategies that prioritise prevention and reduction of excess weight from early adulthood to mitigate cancer risk.
Body Mass Index and Cancer Risk Factors publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in body mass index and cancer risk factors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Body mass index (BMI): A ratio of weight to height squared (kg/m²) used to classify underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity.
Adiposity: The accumulation and distribution of body fat, which influences metabolic, hormonal and inflammatory processes.
Hazard ratio (HR): A measure of the effect of an exposure on the rate of an event occurring over time in a cohort study.
Life course adiposity: The pattern, timing and duration of excess weight across an individual’s lifespan, reflecting cumulative exposure.
References
- Longitudinal body mass index and cancer risk: a cohort study of 2.6 million Catalan adults. Nature Communications (2023).
- Body mass index and risk of over 100 cancer forms and subtypes in 4.1 million individuals in Sweden: the Obesity and Disease Development Sweden (ODDS) pooled cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2024).
- Adiposity and sex-specific cancer risk. Cancer Cell (2023).
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