The relationship between obesity and cancer

Obesity is an urgent and growing global health problem. Among other co-morbidities, obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing many cancers. The epidemiological evidence linking obesity and cancer has ignited multiple studies trying to understand how obesity contributes to cancer risk. Although mechanisms underlying the obesity-cancer link are becoming increasingly clearer, they are very complex and still under intense investigation. Strategies that prevent and/or reverse obesity may also be useful for reducing the progression of cancer. Recent interests are focused towards brown fat as a primary target to combat obesity. In this review, we integrate the classic understandings of the mechanistic role of obesity in cancer to the studies which suggest a beneficial role of brown fat to humans