Experts are recognizing it as a major cause of cancer – possibly responsible for 20 percent of all cases of the disease.

It’s not smoking. In fact, it may have passed smoking in its impact on our nation’s health. This cancer-causing threat, which passes under many people’s radar, is overweight and obesity. Considering that more than 1.5 million people were diagnosed with cancer in 2010, more than 300,000 people could have developed the disease due to their weight.

In a 2010 issue of the medical journal The Oncologist, a team of experts reviewed the evidence linking excessive weight and cancer. They found that obesity appears to be related to cancer of the:

• Esophagus
• Pancreas
• Colon and rectum
• Breast cancer in postmenopausal women
• Endometrium (part of the uterus in women)
• Kidney
• Gallbladder
• And possibly aggressive cases of prostate cancer

Obesity could affect your risk of cancer in different organs by different methods. For example, according to the authors, in women after menopause, obesity affects their levels of a type of estrogen, which in turn is related to breast cancer risk. High insulin may be the connection between obesity and higher risk of colon cancer. A greater chance of stomach acid rising into the esophagus may explain the link between obesity and esophageal cancer. And inflammation in the body due to obesity may add to the risk of some other cancers.

Given that so many people in America are now overweight or obese, the researchers call weight loss “a sound strategy for reducing the risk of cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, “Eating a healthy diet, being physically active on a regular basis, and maintaining a healthy body weight are as important as not using tobacco products in reducing cancer risk.” The organization recommends that people lose weight – or maintain a healthy weight – by:

• Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise on at least five days a week. Forty-five to 60 minutes is even better.
• Taking in no more calories than you burn off through exercise.
• Eating meals and snacks that are heavy on the vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and light on processed foods and red meat.

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