In the past, we often think of obesity as a sign of being blessed and rich. However, in recent years, the dangers of obesity have become increasingly known, and people have begun to take the initiative to pay attention to the relationship between obesity and disease. Obesity not only brings a lot of inconvenience to people’s daily life, but also causes a lot of serious health problems, including heart disease, gout osteoarthritis, diabetes and so on. Overweight is prone to cancer Recently, a new study by scientists showed that about 12,000 cancer cases in the UK are caused by being overweight every year. Scientists hope to inspire more action to curb the obesity epidemic. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, is the largest of its kind, involving data from more than 5 million British adults. The study found that being overweight was associated with ten different types of cancer, including cervical cancer, breast cancer and leukemia. The strongest link to being overweight was uterine cancer, for which being overweight was responsible for about 41 percent of cases. Overweight is responsible for 10 percent or more of cancers in the gallbladder, kidney, liver and colon. There are many causes of cancer, some of which are genetically and environmentally related. However, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Farr Institute of Health Informatics, after taking all other factors into account, suggest that if people maintain a normal weight, there is an optimistic estimate of the actual number of cancers. ”If we could miraculously remove people’s excess weight, then we would have 12,000 fewer cases of cancer.” Study leader Dr. Krishnan Bhaskaran from LSHTM said, “The number of people who are overweight or obese is growing exponentially in the UK and around the world. Many people are now aware that obesity may induce more diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And our findings suggest that if the obesity epidemic continues, we will also see more cases of cancer emerge.” Weight, not to be underestimated The researchers analyzed data from the UK Clinical Practice Study data chain, which recorded data (including details such as weight and height) on 5.24 million subjects over the age of 16. The researchers calculated their body mass index (BMI, a reference index for assessing weight to height ratio) based on the data to determine whether they were overweight. The results of the study showed that the researchers detected 22 of the most common cancers in the subjects, which covered 90% of all cancers diagnosed in the UK. Researchers also found that being overweight was associated with 17 of these cancers. For every 5 unit increase in BMI from normal, there was a significant increase in the risk of cancer in the following body parts: uterine cancer by 62%, gallbladder by 31%, kidney by 25%, cervical by 10%, thyroid and leukemia by 9% each. Higher BMI also increases the overall risk of cancers of the liver (19% increase), colon (10% increase), ovary (10% increase) and breast (5% increase). Of course these cancers are also affected by other factors, and Dr. Bhaskaran found that while increases in BMI levels have a very small effect on some common cancers such as colon cancer and breast cancer, these are common cancers. Therefore, he reminds people that the impact of weight on these cancers cannot be ignored. Lose weight, act now Dr. Bhaskaran said he hopes the study’s findings will help governments take “bold action” to tackle obesity. “This requires action in a variety of regions and areas. The main focus of policy strategies to curb obesity is on reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity. These include taxes on high-calorie, sugary drinks and other nutritionally scarce foods; subsidies on healthy foods, especially for economically disadvantaged groups; changes in agricultural policy; and urban planning aimed at encouraging walking and other forms of physical activity.