Latest Increase In US Obesity Rate Will Mean More Cancers, Experts Warn

Kudos, fatsos.

According to just-released figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2.4 million more Americans became obese between 2007 and 2009. Approximately 26.7 percent of the US adult population, or 72.5 million people, are now obese. Experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) said today that this increase may well result in a corresponding increase in the national cancer rate in years to come.

The AICR experts pointed out that those 72.5 million Americans face an increased risk for colorectal cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, kidney cancer, esophageal cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer and gallbladder cancer.

"Obesity plays a central role in many cancers," said AICR Director of Research Susan Higginbotham, PhD, RD. "Its links to heart disease and diabetes are well-known, but Americans need to understand that more obesity today means more cancer tomorrow."

AICR currently estimates that excess body fat causes approximately 103,600 cases of cancer in the US every year, and warns that as the percentage of the population who are obese continues to increase, this number will rise.

And who do you expect to pay for the consequences of your caloric irresponsibility?