Journal Article

Overweight, Obesity, and Mortality from Cancer in a Prospectively Studied Cohort of U.S. Adults

Calle, Eugenia E, Walker-Thurmond, Kimberly, Thun, Michael J, Rodriguez, Carmen

2003

Overview

Excess weight increases the risk of death from all causes and from cardiovascular disease. Some evidence suggests that adiposity also increases the risk of death from cancer. This prospective study of more than 900,000 men and women confirms that obesity is a significant risk factor for death from cancer generally and from cancer in several specific sites. This study of more than 900,000 men and women confirms that obesity is a risk factor for death from cancer. The relations between excess body weight and mortality, not only from all causes but also from cardiovascular disease, are well established. 1 – 6 Although we have known for some time that excess weight is also an important factor in death from cancer, 7 our knowledge of the magnitude of the relation, both for all cancers and for cancers at individual sites, and the public health effect of excess weight in terms of total mortality from cancer is limited. Previous studies have consistently shown associations between adiposity and increased risk of cancers of the endometrium, kidney, gallbladder (in women), breast (in postmenopausal women), . . .

• Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
• Subject: Adult / Aged / Biological and medical sciences / Body Mass Index / Cohort Studies / Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) / Female / Health risk assessment / Humans / Male / Medical sciences / Mens health / Metabolic diseases / Middle Aged / Mortality / Neoplasms - mortality / Obesity / Obesity - complications / Prevalence / Proportional Hazards Models / Prospective Studies / Risk / Risk Factors / Surveys and Questionnaires / United States - epidemiology / Womens health