Obesity to Blame for Almost 1 in 25 Cancers Worldwide, Including Multiple Myeloma

Today, 1 out of 5 blacks are living with multiple myeloma, and according to a recent study, being overweight and obesity has been linked to it and a number of other cancers.

Overweight and obesity accounted for nearly 4 percent of all cancers globally in 2012, and that rate is likely to rise in coming decades.

Rates of excess body weight have been increasing worldwide since the 1970s. By 2016, about 40 percent of adults (2 billion) and 18 percent of children aged 5 to 19 (340 million) had excess body weight, the researchers said.

Some of the largest increases in overweight and obesity have been in low- and middle-income countries. That’s likely due to the spread of a “Western” lifestyle that includes fatty, sugary foods and lower levels of physical activity, the study authors noted.

One U.S. obesity expert wasn’t surprised by the new numbers. Someday, “obesity is going to surpass cigarette smoking as the leading cause of cancer deaths,” said Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “The links between obesity and cancer are becoming clearer.”

The new report was