High BMIs and Cancer – the Risk for Women

It’s well known that overweight is associated with an increased risk of some cancers. Data from a large study in the UK throws more light on this risk in women. The study was published in the British Medical Journal.

Approximately 1.2 million women were recruited into the Million Women Study. They were aged 50 to 64, and followed for an average of 5.4 years for cancer occurrence and 7 years for cancer mortality. The frequencies of 17 specific types of cancer were examined in relation to the patient’s body mass index (BMI). Other factors analyzed included age, region of UK , socioeconomical status, age at first birth, number of children, smoking, drinking, exercise, years since menopause, and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The following 10 cancer types were associated with increasing BMI values: cancer of the endometrium (uterus lining), esophagus, kidney, pancreas, ovary, breast, colon, and leukemia, multiple myeloma (bone marrow), and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Overall, increasing body mass index is associated with a significant increase in cancer – totaling 5% of all cancers – in postmenopausal women.

If you want to take this information seriously, first check your BMI. A value of 25 to 30 is overweight, 30 to 35 is obese, 35 to 430 is very obese, and over 40 is morbidly obese. If you are indeed overweight, consider a lifestyle change – it’s not as difficult as it sounds (except for the morbidly obese).