This Week's News: Obesity a Risk for Ovarian Cancer; Obese Outnumber the "Overweight"

According to a recent study, obesity can increase the risk for ovarian cancer:

In the new study, which included more than 94,000 U.S. women ages 50 to 71, who were followed for more than 7 years, the researchers found that obese women were more likely to develop ovarian cancer. But the risk appeared to be confined to those who'd never used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during menopause. Previous studies have linked hormone use to a reduced risk of ovarian cancer.

Among women who'd never used HRT, those who were obese had an 83 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer that normal-weight women did.

The findings, reported in the journal Cancer, suggest that obesity may be one of a few controllable risk factors for ovarian cancer.

 And the latest stats show those who are obese now outnumber those who are just overweight:

Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34 percent of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7 percent who are overweight. It said just under 6 percent are "extremely" obese.

"More than one-third of adults, or over 72 million people, were obese in 2005-2006, the NCHS said in its report.

The numbers are based on a survey of 4,356 adults over the age of 20 who take part in a regular government survey of health, said the NCHS, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The figures come from the 2005-2006 survey and are the most current available.