Obesity is a key factor driving rising cancer rates among younger adults in England, according to a study by the Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London. The analysis found that 11 types of cancer, including bowel and ovarian cancer, increased in people aged 20 to 49 between 2001 and 2019.
Researchers noted that obesity is the only known behavioural risk factor that has been increasing in younger adults over this period, while smoking, alcohol consumption, red meat intake and physical inactivity have remained stable or declined. Excess weight was linked to ten of the identified cancers, including thyroid, kidney and pancreatic cancer, with oral cancer as the only exception.
Maintaining a healthy weight could prevent about 20% of bowel cancers, 35% of endometrial cancers and 27% of kidney cancers, the researchers stated. However, they cautioned that obesity alone does not fully explain the overall rise, suggesting unknown causes may also be at play.
Professor Montserrat García-Closas of the Institute of Cancer Research said: 'Excess weight is an important contributor, although it cannot fully account for the scale of the rise in bowel and other cancers. This tells us that multiple factors – including early-life exposures – may be acting together.' She called for stronger public health policies to tackle obesity across all ages.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, highlighted that improvements in detection may also contribute to the increase in diagnosed cases at younger ages. She urged the government to restrict junk food advertising and make nutritious food more accessible.
