This is a Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 file photo of an overweight person eating in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
(Fox News) – Some half a million cases of cancer a year are due to people being overweight or obese, and the problem is particularly acute in North America, the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency said on Wednesday.
In a study published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said high body mass index (BMI) has now become a major cancer risk factor, responsible for some 3.6 percent, or 481,000, of new cancer cases in 2012.
“The number of cancers linked to obesity and overweight is expected to rise globally along with economic development,” said Christopher Wild, IARC’s director.
He said the findings underlined the importance of helping people maintain a healthy weight to reduce their risk of developing a wide range of cancers, and of helping developing countries avoid the problems currently faced by wealthier ones.