International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Obese women could reduce their risk of developing cancer by undergoing weight-loss surgery, it has been reported.

Swedish researchers based at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg reported in the Lancet that female patients who had surgery were 42 per cent less likely to develop cancer in the following decade, although there was no change in the male incidence rate.

With no link being established between reduced calorie intake and cancer avoidance, the report authors say further research into the potential positive effects of weight-loss surgery is needed.

They commented: "In our study, the significant reduction in overall cancer incidence in the female surgery group emanated from a variety of cancer types, indicating a broad effect of bariatric surgery."

Dr Andrew G Renehan, of the University of Manchester's School of Cancer, UK, said the greatest cancer-prevention effects from weight reduction were likely to be for "post-menopausal breast and endometrial cancers, two hormone-sensitive malignancies, the effects of which might manifest within a decade".

Earlier this week, Health Behavior News Service reported on a new study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, US, which indicated that obesity may relate to a reduced volume of gray matter in the brains of postmenopausal women.