A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that nearly half a million new cancer cases per year can be attributed to high body mass index (BMI).

The study, published today in The Lancet Oncology, highlights that overweight and obesity have become a major risk factor, responsible for an estimated 3.6% (481 000) of all new cancer cases in 2012.

“Overall, we see that while the number of cancer cases associated with overweight and obesity remains highest in richer countries, similar effects are already visible in parts of the developing world,” says Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, one of the study’s lead authors and the project’s principal investigator.

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