Can Redefining Obesity Help Identify Cancer Risk?
Obesity is a serious health problem in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2023 show that more than 35%, or more than 1 in 3, adults in 23 states have obesity. It’s a striking and scary statistic considering not a single state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35% before the year 2013.
It’s especially problematic because many adults with obesity have other serious chronic health conditions. For example, 58% have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease, and 23% have diabetes.
Many adults with obesity are also at a higher risk for developing cancer. Obesity is considered a risk factor for at least 13 types of cancer, which make up 40% of all cancer cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
Excerpted from City of Hope
