• Posted April 28, 2026

Metabolic Syndrome Tied To Cancer Risk

People with metabolic health problems might also have an increased risk of cancer, a new study says.

People with advanced CKM (cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic) syndrome have up to a 30% increased risk of developing cancer, researchers reported April 27 in the journal Circulation: Population Health and Outcomes.

“The study findings suggest that it is important to consider not only cardiovascular disease risk, but also cancer risk in people with CKM syndrome,” lead researcher Dr. Hidehiro Kaneko, an associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Tokyo in Japan, said in a news release.

Nearly 9 of 10 adults in the U.S. have at least one component of CKM syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high blood sugar, excess weight and reduced kidney function, researchers said in background notes.

The biggest dangers from CKM syndrome are heart attack and stroke, but it also affects every major organ system in the body. Thus, it’s also linked to kidney failure, dementia, fatty liver disease and sleep apnea, researchers said.

For this study, researchers investigated whether CKM syndrome also might be linked to an increased risk for cancer.

The team reviewed data for nearly 1.4 million people in Japan using an insurance claims database, tracking the rate of cancer cases based on whether they had CKM syndrome.

After following the people for more than three years, results showed that cancer risk increased sharply alongside the severity of a person’s CKM syndrome:

• Stage 1 – 3% higher risk

• Stage 2 – 2% higher risk

• Stage 3 – 25% higher risk

• Stage 4 – 30% higher risk

Severity is based on how many CKM syndrome components a person has, researchers said.

“CKM syndrome represents a complex interplay among the cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic systems, where dysfunction in one area may trigger or exacerbate dysfunction in others,” Kaneko said.

“Dysfunction in each of these systems is independently associated with cancer risk due to shared risk factors,” Kaneko said. “This study suggests that the accumulation of risk factors within the framework of CKM syndrome may contribute to the development of various types of cancer.”

These results show that healthy behaviors that ward off heart disease and kidney failure likely will help protect against cancer as well, said Dr. Tochukwu Okwuosa, director of cardio-oncology services at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and an American Heart Association volunteer.

“The study highlights the bidirectional relationship and underscores the concept of reverse cardio-oncology where cardiovascular disease and its risk factors also increase cancer risk,” Okwuosa, who was not involved in the study, said in a news release.

“Consequently, healthy lifestyle choices potentially impact both conditions that are the leading causes of death in the United States,” she said. “For those with established cardiovascular risk, the CKM syndrome staging framework may be a useful tool to flag high risk individuals for potential cancer screenings and evaluations.”

More information

The American Heart Association has more on CKM syndrome.

SOURCES: American Heart Association, news release, April 27, 2026; Circulation: Population Health & Outcomes, April 27, 2026