In a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, obesity may  account for 20% of all cancer deaths in US women, and 14% of US men. This means that 90, 000 cancer deaths could be prevented each year if Americans could only maintain a normal, healthy body weight.

The researchers speculate that obesity acts on cancer by raising the body’s levels of hormones–sex hormones like estrogen, or protein hormones like insulin-and insulin related growth factors. To much fat around the waist, for instance, can disrupt insulin metabolism and increase the risk for colon cancer, among others.

Source: American Cancer Society