Cancer Research’s ‘obesity is a cause of cancer’ campaign ignores the very real issue of medical fatphobia

Cancer Research’s ‘obesity is a cause of cancer’ campaign ignores the very real issue of medical fatphobia

Have you seen the adverts at the bus stop lately? Noticed a billboard on your commute to work? Witnessed the hullaballoo on Twitter this week?

Cancer Research UK have recently launched an anti-obesity campaign stating that obesity is a cause of cancer. Many people, myself included, have something to say.

I won’t be using the words obese and obesity because medical and social scientists alike have found that these terms serve to further weight based bias and imply that fatness is an indicator of health status and morality. Instead, I’ll be using the term ‘fat’ as a neutral body descriptor just like short, brown-eyed, and brunette.



The campaign’s print adverts feature bold black text atop a stark white background, but this issue is far from black and white. A tagline provokes: ‘Guess what is the biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking?’


The campaign’s accompanying video shows civilians reacting to the O word in a market research style setting who are just shocked about this information. Shock is exactly what this campaign is designed to provoke, but in my opinion this isn’t shocking at all.

As a fat woman, I know that the medical industry hates me.

What is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer behind smoking? Make your guess, then watch our video to find out the answer… https://t.co/eOrFWGfWUb pic.twitter.com/avcyFxcyux — Cancer Research UK (@CR_UK) February 26, 2018

I know that serving chips in a cigarette package labelled ‘OBESITY’ is meant to generate a reaction, and yet the only reaction I’m having is boredom. Boredom with a side of frustration.

Supporters of the campaign seem to have similar arguments: But this is science! People shouldn’t be offended because it’s the truth! You can’t argue with science!

See, the tricky thing about scholarly articles and scientific research is that for every article claiming that XYZ is a cause of cancer, there is another article saying the exact opposite. Science is constantly evolving and how we understand human bodies is always changing.

To only seek out research that supports one’s hypothesis or social agenda is referred to in academia as ‘cherrypicking’. It’s not only foolish but irresponsible. We must look at these topics with a critical eye, rather than blindly accepting the data that is thrown at us.

What if fatness isn’t a cause of cancer? Those who have studied science, statistics, or psychology will know that correlation does not imply causation. In other words, just because two things appear to be linked, does not mean that they are related to one another in a meaningful way.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

The American Cancer Society states that ‘the links between body weight and cancer are complex and are not yet fully understood’. Correlation is known but causation is not.

Cancer Research themselves even say: ‘It’s very clear that there is a link between cancer and obesity. But it’s still not completely understood how exactly obesity causes cancer.’ Cancer Research admit that correlation is a fact, but causation is not. Doesn’t it then seem hypocritical for them to release an anti-fat campaign?



Of course, it is possible that they’re right, and fatness does indeed cause cancer.

So what if fatness is a cause of cancer? What if all the faceless trolls on Twitter are right? What if us fatties are all destined for an early death caused by diabetes, heart disease, or cancer?

Will the creators of this campaign pat themselves on the back and congratulate themselves for a job well done? Will every internet troll jump for joy and increase the amount of hatred they vomit onto the internet?

Why does society consider fat people a burden on the public health purse when we pay taxes to fund the NHS just like everybody else? I have a lot of questions, but the biggest one is this: where is our empathy?

Presumably this Cancer Research campaign was created to promote awareness and thus improve the overall health of the nation. If that were the intention, then this campaign greatly missed the mark and instead leads to further fat stigma.

This stigma exists when ‘elements of labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination occur together…[fat people] experience excessive stigma and discrimination, which in turn impacts negatively on their physical and mental health outcomes.’

A huge factor in treating and surviving cancer is early diagnosis, but the stigma around fatness may actually prevents early diagnosis in two ways.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Fat people are less likely to visit the doctor because we often experience disrespectful treatment from medical personnel, we aren’t taken seriously when we bring health concerns to the GP, and we don’t want unsolicited advice about weight loss.


When fat people do visit the doctor, everything from back aches, to foot pain, infertility, to dry skin is diagnosed as a symptom of fatness. Doctors have misdiagnosed cancer symptoms as fat symptoms which means patients may not seek cancer treatment until years later when the cancer has spread and cannot effectively be treated.

Perhaps this is why fatness correlates with various cancers. Fat people are less likely to be diagnosed and treated for cancer because of a medical industry that both shames us and fails us.

I suggest that we remove weight from the health conversation. This is known as a non-weight centric approach or a weight-neutral approach to health. This approach to discussing health and wellness ‘challenges the belief that a particular BMI reflects a particular set of health practices, health status, or moral character’.

We already know that BMI is an outdated means of measurement and that ‘fitness and diet may affect health independent of weight status, and that obesity and fitness are non-mutually exclusive’.

Instead of discussing health in terms of weight, we can just as easily discuss it in terms of nutrition, blood pressure, physical activity, family history, psychological wellbeing, etc.

One non-weight centric approach is known as the Health At Every Size (HAES) model. This model removes health as a moral obligation, and instead focuses on equal opportunities all people regardless of body size (source).

HAES promotes fair health care, nutritious food, and accessible movement for all people, no matter how much fatty tissue their body may be holding on to. Doesn’t that sound like something we can all benefit from?


‘Obesity’ discourse does not exist in a vacuum.

Fat people experience hatred and stigma in education, the workplace, and yes, even the medical field.

If Cancer Research really cares about our health, perhaps they should focus on the bigger picture. Medical fatphobia is a huge problem, pun intended, and with this campaign Cancer Research have positioned themselves as part of the problem.

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