It has long been known that excess weight is a major health risk, but until recently cancer hadn’t been a major part of the obesity/health discussion. A recent British study of 5.24 million people, however, looked at the occurrence of 22 different cancers and their association with body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight/body size and type.

The study concluded that when adjusted for factors like age and smoking, a higher BMI was associated with a large increase in risk of cancers of the uterus, kidney, gallbladder, and liver, and smaller risk increases for at least six other types of cancer.