Body-mass index and incidence of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.

The article presents a meta-analysis and review of studies on the link between excess weight as expressed by the body-mass index and the incidence of cancer. Some 141 articles containing over 280,000 cases were examined. Using the benchmark of a 5 kilogram/meter increase in body mass, strong links between cancer and excess weight were found in men for esophagal, thyroid, and colon cancers, and in women with gallbladder and renal cancers.