Death Rates For Some Cancers Have Dropped But Experts Say Obesity Could Be Driving Force Behind Cancers

Experts say obesity could be one of the driving forces of cancer.

As cancer death rates drop, health experts notice that cancer might have a new encourager: obesity. A new report shows the cancer death rates for women and communities of color are declining. However, obesity and the lack of medical resources provided to communities of color could be contributing to another huge issue, according to USA Today.

One of the largest contributors to cancer was smoking, but now health experts believe obesity is set to take its place. “The decrease in smoking is a huge reason,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor at Johns Hopkins University and former chief medical officer at American Cancer Society. “Keep in mind it is not just lung cancer, but smoking causes 18 different cancers.”

Common cancers like breast cancer and colon cancer have slowed down as cases of obesity rise. Prostate cancer has also flattened following years of decline, USA Today reports.

Brawley says Americans are dealing with an “energy imbalance,” meaning people are eating too much and not exercising enough. “Think about tobacco control pushing the rate down and energy imbalance pushing the rate up at the same time, “Brawley said. “And by the way, the cancers that are going up or the cancers that are not going down in death rate in this study are the ones most closely associated with energy imbalance.”