You already know that obesity is a risk factor for several cancers. But what exactly connects excess body weight to malignancy at the organ level? That question has lingered for years, and you are certainly not the only one wondering about it. In an effort to unpack this link, a study explored whether obesity drives enlargement of key organs, thereby increasing the number of cells vulnerable to malignant transformation.
The study evaluated 747 adults with a BMI ranging from 17.8 to 70.9 kg/m² and found a clear positive relationship between BMI and organ size. For every 5-unit increase in BMI, liver volume increased by 12%, the combined volume of both kidneys by 9%, and pancreatic volume by 7%. To understand what was driving this enlargement at the cellular level, investigators analyzed autopsy and biopsy samples and found a substantial rise in total cell number. In the kidneys,…
