A research from the Center for Disease Control has linked cancer to people who are overweight.

The research found obese or overweight people account for 40 % of all diagnoses of cancer in the US.

Though new cases of cancer have decreased since the 1990s, the number of cases have amplified in the last decade for people who are carrying around extra weight. But, these numbers are only linked to being overweight, not caused by being overweight.

Doctors say there’re many patients who easily fall into that category, & they don't even know they’re at a higher risk.

"People don't typically correlate that with getting cancer," said Dr. Jeffrey Lopez at Tri-State Regional Cancer Center in Ashland. "They worry about cigarette smoking & things like that, family history. But fortunately there's something that will help them both with their heart disease, their diabetes & decrease their risk for cancer, if they could lose weight."

According to the research, being overweight can be associated with thirteen types of cancer including thyroid, liver, & even breast cancer. Around 55 % of cancer cases in females are connected to being overweight. The number is lower in males, at 24 %.

Dr. Lopez says treatment plans are often altered & even delayed for patients who are overweight & are too heavy for equipment.

"Treatment tables have weight limits, CT scans & MRIs have weight limits ... I've had patients I've had to put off treating their cancer, so they can lose weight ... So it makes treating those cancers harder. For chemotherapy patients, when you're obese you have more kidney problems which makes chemotherapy harder ... It makes it harder to have surgery when you're obese."

In the research, CDC officials say good health is the best treatment for preventing chronic diseases, including cancer. Lopez echoes that statement & hopes the numbers from this research are a wake-up call for patients to get in shape, so they are not faced with an even tougher situation should they be diagnosed with cancer.

"I think it will help motivate patients to exercise, change their diets, & lose weight. There's another reason to do so. It's not only heart disease, it's not only diabetes, but it's another motivation."