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Obesity is to blame for certain illnesses and, in a case of guilt by association, it is suspected of contributing in some way to the development of several types of cancer, too. But were excess body fat able to stand trial, could it be found guilty of causing cancer beyond the shadow of a reasonable doubt?
The most damaging evidence comes from a long-term study, conducted by the American Cancer Society from 1982 to 1998, which showed that being overweight or obese increases the risk of dying from cancer. The results, published in 2003 in The American Journal of Medicine, led researchers to conclude that having a high body mass index, or BMI - a calculation based on weight and height that roughly correlates to the percentage of total body weight that comes from fat - could account for 14 percent of all cancer deaths in men and 20 percent of those in women.
The heaviest men in the study had cancer death rates that were 52 percent higher than the rates among men whose BMI ranked in the healthy range. The heaviest women's death rates were 62 percent higher than women whose BMI rankings were healthy.
These findings represent "a statistical association based on statistical analysis," says Dr. Maria Juarez of the Cancer Institute of Dallas. "The study does not prove that being overweight causes cancer."
Obesity has a long rap sheet, though. It is known to cause or contribute to high blood pressure, joint problems, stroke and the development of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
What is it about fat that makes it so threatening?
"Some evidence points to elevated inflammation throughout the body resulting from excess body fat," says Sheila Collins, senior investigator for the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences Research, Triangle Park, N.C. Inflammation occurs when immune cells migrate from fat tissue and become too populous throughout the body, which might compromise the immune system's ability to recognize and kill cancer cells.
There is also evidence that fat-storing tissue produces hormones that spur abnormal cells to develop into tumors in certain types of cancers.
Because fat is a known or suspected culprit behind a long list of illnesses, Collins says it is best not to become overweight in the first place, and those who already are will benefit from losing a sufficient amount of weight to achieve a healthy BMI.
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