How high blood sugar, hypertension and obesity can add up to cancer risk ( www.mprnews.org )

About a third of Americans have metabolic syndrome. It's a cluster of conditions that can include hypertension, high blood sugar and a large waistline, and together increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

New research underscores another potential consequence: Cancer.

The link between cancer and having excess body fat is well-established.

But this latest study, published in the journal Cancer, takes a broader look at this relationship, focusing on how metabolic syndrome in general raises the risk of developing a variety of cancers.