Whether you are slim or obese, one thing is clear: calorie-dense processed foods increase cancer risk, regardless of body weight.
Researchers studied data from 92,000 postmenopausal women who took part in the Women’s Health Initiative, a 15-year study of health in postmenopausal women. They focused on the energy density of the women’s diets – “high energy” diets are synonymous with “high calorie” diets – and noted the number of calories per gram of the total diet.
The researchers made an unexpected finding: Women in the top fifth of energy density were 10 percent more likely to be diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer compared to the bottom fifth, and this relationship was found in women who were at a normal weight at baseline.2 These cancers include colorectal, pancreatic, endometrial, ovarian, liver, kidney, gallbladder, and postmenopausal breast cancers.1 This increase in risk was associated with the calorie density of the women’s diets.2
