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Peer-reviewedCC BYNature Metabolism

Adiposity and cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Eleanor L. Watts1
  • Amparo G. Gonzalez‐Feliciano2
  • Marc James Gunter3
  • Nilanjan Chatterjee4,5
  • Steven C. Moore6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Shady Grove, MD, USA. [email protected]
  2. 2Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Shady Grove, MD, USA
  3. 3Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK. [email protected]
  4. 4Department of Biostatistics, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. [email protected]
  5. 5Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. [email protected]
  6. 6Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Shady Grove, MD, USA. [email protected]
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Abstract

Obesity is a major health challenge. Here we show that body mass index is positively associated with risk of 19 cancers and inversely associated with 3, based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies of 25 cancer types. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus through to 23 April 2025, identifying 226 articles comprising 1.5 million incident cancers. We identified positive associations for leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder cancer and glioma, not previously identified by major consensus reports. Associations differed according to region and sex, with stronger associations for postmenopausal breast and ovarian cancers in East Asia, weaker associations for gallbladder cancer in East Asia and in men, and stronger associations for colorectal cancer in men. Body mass index and waist circumference showed similar associations with cancer. We reviewed Mendelian randomization and imaging-based studies; genetic findings were generally consistent with observational associations, while imaging data were limited. Our findings underscore the impact of obesity on cancer risk.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{watts2026adiposity,
  title = {{Adiposity and cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis}},
  author = {Eleanor L. Watts and Amparo G. Gonzalez‐Feliciano and Marc James Gunter and Nilanjan Chatterjee and Steven C. Moore},
  journal = {Nature Metabolism},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1038/s42255-026-01542-8},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-026-01542-8},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Adiposity and cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis
AU  - Eleanor L. Watts
AU  - Amparo G. Gonzalez‐Feliciano
AU  - Marc James Gunter
AU  - Nilanjan Chatterjee
AU  - Steven C. Moore
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/15
JO  - Nature Metabolism
DO  - 10.1038/s42255-026-01542-8
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-026-01542-8
AB  - Obesity is a major health challenge. Here we show that body mass index is positively associated with risk of 19 cancers and inversely associated with 3, based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies of 25 cancer types. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus through to 23 April 2025, identifying 226 articles comprising 1.5 million incident cancers. We identified positive associations for leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder cancer and glioma, not previously identified by major consensus reports. Associations differed according to region and sex, with stronger associations for postmenopausal breast and ovarian cancers in East Asia, weaker associations for gallbladder cancer in East Asia and in men, and stronger associations for colorectal cancer in men. Body mass index and waist circumference showed similar associations with cancer. We reviewed Mendelian randomization and imaging-based studies; genetic findings were generally consistent with observational associations, while imaging data were limited. Our findings underscore the impact of obesity on cancer risk.
SN  - 2522-5812
ER  -