Immunometabolic Memory: Why Obesity Increases Cancer Risk

Obesity increases cancer risk across nearly all tumor types, but the mechanism isn't just hormonal or mechanical. There's growing evidence that obesity creates an immunometabolic memory in tissue-resident immune cells.

Macrophages in adipose tissue undergo metabolic reprogramming during obesity—shifting toward glycolysis and acquiring a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Even after weight loss, these cells retain epigenetic marks that prime them for rapid reactivation.

Hypothesis: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in formerly obese individuals retain this metabolic memory, creating a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment that persists years after weight normalization.