What basic research is NCI conducting to address energy balance?
Over the last several years, epidemiological research has established linkages between these health factors and many cancers in large cohort or case-control studies looking at the effects of weight, diet, physical activity, and cancer outcomes. A large body of literature suggests being overweight or obese increases the risk for postmenopausal breast cancer, colon cancer, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, endometrial cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and several other cancers. Other studies have explored the mechanisms by which obesity may be influencing cancer risk, including some basic animal and cell culture studies. Clinical intervention studies, involving small groups of patients, have looked at the effect of specific diet, activity, and weight control regimens to see how they influence cancer risk. What research are we doing in the area of obesity prevention? Most of the research at NCI and NIH on obesity has focused on understanding obesity, its causation, consequences, and approaches
