MedPage Today reported, “Weight loss, even achieved through bariatric surgery, reduced the risk of obesity-related cancer.”

Researchers are reporting that “in a study of over 30,000 adults with obesity, only 2.9% of those who opted for bariatric surgery were diagnosed with cancer during a 10-year follow-up versus 4.9% of nonsurgical controls.”

Furthermore, “this translated to an incidence rate of 3.0 events vs 4.6 events per 1,000 person-years, respectively, and a 32% reduced risk for developing obesity-related cancer following weight loss from bariatric surgery.”

The findings from the Surgical Procedures and Long-term Effectiveness in Neoplastic Disease Incidence and Death (SPLENDID) study were presented at the ADA 82nd Scientific Sessions and published in JAMA.

The New York Times added, “According to the CDC, people with obesity tend to have higher levels of hormones such as insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, which can stimulate the development of colon, kidney, prostate and endometrial cancers.”

The CDC estimates that 40% of all cancers diagnosed in the US are linked to obesity, and while the JAMA study focused on weight-loss surgery, the authors speculate that weight loss driven by exercise or diet would likely have the same benefit.

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