An international team of researchers examined 226 scientific studies from 23 countries and published their findings in Nature Metabolism, according to News-Medical.
The aim was to investigate how BMI affects the risk of different types of cancer.
The study shows that the risk is not the same for everyone. There are clear differences between countries, regions, and sexes.
According to the researchers, this means that previous findings cannot necessarily be directly transferred from one population group to another.
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Not the same for everyone
Among other findings, the researchers discovered that the association between BMI and postmenopausal breast cancer was stronger in East Asian countries than in Europe.
In addition, the link between BMI and colorectal cancer was stronger in men, while the association between BMI and gallbladder cancer was stronger in women.
At the same time, the researchers point out that there is still a lack of data from several parts of the world, including Africa, South Asia, and Central America.
More cancer types than expected
For many years, international health organizations have assessed that excess weight increases the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
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However, the new analysis provides a broader picture.
The researchers found a statistical association between elevated BMI and as many as 19 types of cancer.
Among the cancers now linked to higher BMI are leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder cancer, and glioma.
The findings therefore suggest that excess weight may play a role in the development of more types of cancer than researchers had previously estimated.
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