A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and reported in The Times last week has found a strong link between obesity and a higher risk of developing cancer of the kidney, oesophagus, womb, ovary, bowel, stomach, multiple myeloma, rectum, biliary tract system, pancreas, and post-menopausal breast cancer.

Researchers from Imperial College London conducted an ‘umbrella review’ and a meta-analysis of 204 studies that looked at Body Mass Index (BMI), weight gain, waist circumference and the link between these parameters and 36 cancers and their subtypes.  In their article they state that ‘for every extra 5 kilograms of weight, the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women who had not used hormone replacement therapy increased by 11 per cent’. The experts also said that 25,000 cases of cancer a year in the UK could be avoided if everyone was a healthy weight.

Read The Times article here and the British Medical Journal article here