Obesity-Linked Cancer Deaths Have Tripled
The spike hits women, older adults, Black and Native American populations, and rural communities the hardest. With 13 different cancers now tied to excess weight—including breast, colon, and pancreatic—the findings spotlight a growing public health emergency that’s both preventable and urgent. Researchers say this trend underscores a clear need for earlier screenings and greater access to care, the SciTechDaily reported.
A new study presented at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual conference in San Francisco, California, shows that cancer deaths related to obesity in the United States have tripled over the last 20 years.
Researchers analyzed more than 33,000 deaths caused by cancers associated with obesity. Their findings showed a steep rise in mortality, with the most significant increases seen among women, older adults, Native Americans, and Black Americans.
“Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing to significant mortality,” said lead researcher Faizan Ahmed, M.D., of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City, N.J. “This research underscores the need for targeted public health strategies such as early screening and improved access to care, especially in high-risk rural and underserved areas.”
Obesity is widespread in the U.S., affecting 40.3% of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is considered a complex disease influenced by a mix of genetic, hormonal, physiological, environmental, and developmental factors.
Beyond cancer, obesity increases the likelihood of developing several chronic health conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and both chronic and end-stage kidney disease.
Obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing 13 types of cancer, according to the CDC. These cancers make up 40% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year.
They are Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, Breast (in women who have gone through menopause), Colon and rectum, Uterus, Gallbladder, Upper stomach, Kidneys, Liver, Ovaries, Pancreas, Thyroid, Meningioma (a type of brain cancer), and Multiple myeloma.
Faizan used mortality data from the CDC to analyze 33,572 U.S. deaths from obesity-associated cancers between 1999 and 2020. He found age-adjusted mortality rates increased from 3.73 to 13.52 per million over two decades, with steep increases among women, older adults, Black people, Native Americans, and rural populations.
Regionally, the Midwest had the highest rate of obesity-related cancer deaths, while the Northeast had the lowest. State-level analysis revealed that Vermont, Minnesota, and Oklahoma had the highest rates, while Utah, Alabama, and Virginia had the lowest.
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