Rise in obesity-related cancers in young will lead to ‘disease burden in older adults’

A new study finds rates are increasing for six of 12 cancers related to obesity in younger adults in the US. Cancer trends in young adults often serve as a sentinel for the future disease burden in older adults, among whom most cancer occurs. The study, appearing in The Lancet Public Health, also looked at rates for 18 cancers unrelated to obesity, and found rates increasing for only two. The obesity epidemic over the past 40 years has led to younger generations experiencing an earlier and longer lasting exposure to excess adiposity over their lifetime than previous generations. Excess body weight is