Scientists have named a non-obvious risk factor for early cancer

Scientists from the Catholic University of Korea found that the presence of obesity between the ages of 20 and 39 years is associated with a higher risk of cancer before the age of 50 years. At the same time, the likelihood of developing cancer increased as body weight increased. The study is published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

As part of the work, experts studied the data of more than six million people aged 20 to 39 years. At the start of the study, the participants had no cancer diagnoses, and their health was monitored for about ten years.

It turned out that among people with normal weight, 1.8 percent developed cancer during this period. In obesity, this figure rose to 2.2 percent, and in more severe forms it reached 2.6 percent.

Separately, the researchers identified abdominal obesity, which is understood as excessive accumulation of fat in the abdomen. It was in people with this type of obesity that the highest incidence of cancer was recorded.

The most clear link with excess weight was identified for thyroid, endometrial and ovarian cancer. At the same time, scientists did not find a significant relationship between obesity and the development of breast cancer.

The authors of the work stressed that the study does not confirm a direct causal relationship between obesity and cancer. Nevertheless, the results obtained by scientists indicate the importance of controlling body weight at a young age.

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