Study Links Rising Obesity to Under-50 Cancer Increases in England

A new study has identified rising obesity rates as a significant but partial contributor to the increasing cancer incidence among adults under 50 in England, with researchers emphasizing the need for further investigation into other unidentified factors.

The research, conducted by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and Imperial College London and published in BMJ Oncology, analyzed national cancer registry data from 2001 to 2019 alongside trends in behavioral risk factors. It found that rates of 11 cancers have been rising annually by 1 to 6 percent in people aged 20 to 49. The most common among these were breast and colorectal cancers, followed by liver, kidney, pancreatic, ovarian, thyroid, multiple myeloma, gallbladder, endometrial and oral cancers. Nine of these 11 cancers showed similar increases in people over 50, pointing to potential shared causes, while colorectal and ovarian cancers rose primarily in younger adults.

Traditional risk factors linked to these cancers by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, including smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, low fiber intake and processed or red meat consumption, remained stable...