Researchers Link 11 Cancers Rise to Obesity in Young Adults
Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London say obesity is a key factor in the rise of 11 cancers among people aged 20 to 49 in England between 2001 and 2019. The study points to excess weight as the only known behavioural risk factor that increased over that period, while smoking, alcohol, red meat and physical inactivity stayed stable or declined.
Montserrat García-Closas said excess weight is “an important contributor” but “cannot fully account for the scale of the rise in bowel and other cancers.” The researchers found that excess weight was associated with 10 of the 11 cancers, with oral cancer the only exception.
England Cancer Trends 2001 to 2019
The analysis found 11 types of cancer increasing among younger adults in England, including bowel cancer and ovarian cancer. Bowel cancer in this age group rose by 3% a year on average, while ovarian cancer rose by 0.7% a year on average.
García-Closas, co-director of the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit and Group Leader in Integrative Cancer Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research, said: “Excess weight is an important contributor, although it cannot fully account for the scale of the rise in bowel and other cancers. This tells us that multiple factors – including early-life exposures – may be acting together. Understanding these patterns is essential for identifying what is truly driving cancer risk in today’s generations,”
She added: “However, we cannot wait to act. Tackling obesity across all ages, particularly in children and young people, through stronger public health policies and wider access to effective interventions, could slow the rise in cancer and prevent many cancers – and must become a national priority.”
Michelle Mitchell on Detection
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said the pattern in adults under 50 is small but is being seen “globally and in the UK.” She said: “The picture is complex and we need more research to understand what’s driving the trend, but this study helps to fill in some gaps.”
Mitchell also said: “Overweight and obesity doesn’t explain the rise in full though. Improvements in detection are likely to also be playing a part, meaning that more people are being diagnosed at a younger age.”
She added: “Preventing cancer cases must be a priority for the UK government.” Recent figures show more than 403,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year, and one person is diagnosed every 80 seconds.
10 of 11 Cancers
The study ties excess weight to 10 of the 11 cancers identified, leaving oral cancer as the exception. The researchers said maintaining a healthy weight could prevent about 20% of bowel cancers, 35% of endometrial cancers and 27% of kidney cancers.
For younger adults, the practical takeaway is direct: the study identifies excess weight as a factor that can be addressed now, but the rise in cases is not explained by obesity alone. That leaves prevention policy, earlier detection and further research as the next pieces of the picture.
