Worldwide, nearly 6% of cancers are attributable to diabetes and high BMI

Diabetes and high BMI (a BMI over 25 kg/m2) were the cause of 5.6% of new cancer cases worldwide in 2012 — equivalent to 792600 cases, according to the first study to quantify the proportion of cancers attributable to diabetes and high BMI published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal.

Estimates suggest that 422 million adults have diabetes and 2.01 billion adults are overweight or obese, globally. Both high BMI and diabetes are risk factors for various types of cancer, potentially due to biological changes caused by diabetes and high BMI — such as high insulin, high sugar levels, chronic inflammation, and dysregulated sex hormones such as oestrogen — having adverse effects on the body.

Most of the cancer cases attributable to diabetes and high BMI occurred in high-income western countries (38.2%, 303000/792600 cases), and the second largest proportion occurring in east and southeast Asian countries (24.1%, 190900/792600 cases).