Stomach stapling may offer an additional health benefit for obese women — but not in obese men. According to a new study, women who have their stomachs stapled (bariatric surgery) not only lose weight — they also cut their cancer risk by up to 40 percent.

Swedish researchers spent approximately ten years studying 2,010 obese patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs. They also studied 2,037 obese people who did not have the surgery.

Among the women who underwent surgery, 79 got cancer. In the non-surgery group, 130 women got cancer. Among the men who underwent surgery, 38 got cancer. In the non-surgery group, 39 men got cancer. Lars Sjostrom of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden and the paper’s lead author, did say it was possible there weren’t enough men in the study to see an effect — men only made up about a quarter of the participants.

While the researchers could not conclude why stomach stapling lowered cancer risk in only women, countless studies have linked obesity to cancer, as weight affects one’s hormone levels.

A study published on Wednesday appears online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology. Click here to read the full study.

While the above study reminds us of the serious health risks associated with obesity, a separate 12-year-long study out of Canada reveals that a few extra pounds can actually add years to your life.