Obesity in childhood increases risk of developing at least 6 different forms of cancer, study finds

The fact that obesity in childhood increases the odds of developing breast cancer is now well-established. For other types of cancers, however, the influence of body mass index (BMI) is unknown. Studies are very few, far between and not representative enough to draw reliable conclusions. Prof Jennifer Lyn Baker successfully closed this knowledge gap.

Before Prof Baker initiated the CHILDGROWTH2CANCER project, researchers had been struggling to find large-enough population cohorts to yield results for non-breast cancers that could be generalised for all. ‘It’s not that researchers weren’t interested in other forms of cancer, it’s rather that breast cancer occurs earlier in life and is all too common, thus there were data material available that could support the studies,’ she explains.

Further details: Obesity in childhood increases risk of developing at least 6 different forms of cancer, study finds