The impact of obesity and lipids on cancer: Insights into mechanisms and potential interventions
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Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Exploring the Regulation of Lipid Droplet Catabolism through Lipophagy
Published on: January 31, 2025
Montserrat Romero1, Yi-Fan Lian2, Albert Piquer3
1Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac, 10-12, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM) Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona 08028, Spain.
Abstract:
Obesity and metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, are closely linked to different types of cancers. With obesity rates rising globally, its influence on cancer incidence and progression has become increasingly significant. The obesity-cancer axis is thought to be driven by a complex interplay of metabolic and immune factors, including adipokines, lipids, immune cells and gene regulatory mechanisms. These elements work synergistically to promote cancer initiation and progression in the context of obesity. A more precise understanding and targeting these modulators should pave the way to novel therapeutic strategies to disrupt the link between obesity and cancer, improve cancer outcomes, and reduce treatment resistance. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of these factors, many of them derived from adipose tissue, highlightning their roles in shaping the obesity-cancer axis.
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