Cancer deaths from obesity have tripled in 20 years — which states have the highest and lowest rates

It’s a growing problem.

Cancer deaths tied to obesity have tripled in the US over the last two decades, according to sobering new research presented Sunday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, California.

The study analyzed more than 33,000 deaths from obesity-associated cancers between 1999 and 2020 and found that the age-adjusted mortality rate surged from 3.73 to 13.52 per million during that period — a more than threefold increase.

The risk isn’t spread evenly, either — women, older adults, black people, Native Americans and those living in rural areas bore the brunt of the deadly trend.

Geography also makes a big difference.

The new study found that Midwestern states had the highest rates of obesity-linked cancer deaths, while the Northeast fared the best.

At the state level, Vermont, Minnesota and Oklahoma saw the highest rates, while Utah, Alabama and Virginia had the lowest.

“Obesity is a significant risk factor for multiple cancers, contributing to significant mortality,” Dr. Faizan Ahmed of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City, NJ, said in a press release.

“This research underscores the need for targeted public health strategies such as early screening and improved access to care, especially in high-risk rural and underserved areas.”

Obesity is strongly linked to at least 13 types of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These include cancers of the breast in postmenopausal women, colon, uterus, gallbladder, pancreas, liver, thyroid and even the brain, among others.

Together, these obesity-linked cancers account for a staggering 40% of all new cancer diagnoses in the US each year.

Obesity now affects 40.3% of American adults, per CDC data.

It is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher — and it is associated with an increased risk of sleep apnea, infertility, depression, heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

The World Health Organization officially declared obesity a global epidemic in 1997, noting that rates had nearly tripled since 1975 — which is when experts believe the epidemic began.

What has remained a hotly debated mystery is why the epidemic rages on, with many pointing the finger at lifestyle factors such as increases in ultra-processed foods and sedentary behavior.

The good news is that while technology may be making us fatter, TikTok nutrition hacks and trendy weight loss drugs offer novel ways to win the battle of the bulge.