Obesity and Cancer: Existing and New Hypotheses for a Causal Connection.

Abstract in brief

• Obesity's link to cancer may be largely driven by chronic inflammation, which activates pathways like the kynurenine pathway and influences metabolism and brain function, suggesting a potential causal connection.
• New hypotheses propose that serine proteases released during inflammation can deplete tumor suppressors like DCC and neogenin, thereby increasing cancer risk, with these enzymes originating from immune cells or environmental sources like food and cleaning products.
• Public health strategies targeting serine proteases and inflammatory pathways, such as using specific inhibitors, could help prevent various cancers associated with obesity by interrupting these biological mechanisms.]