A large European study of nearly 370,000 people has found an increased risk of colon cancer in both men and women who had large deposits of fat around their waistline.
Researchers measured body weight, body mass index (BMI), and the ratio of waist to hip circumference (WHR). To make comparisons, they divided individuals in the study into five groups — quintiles — from the highest numbers to the lowest. All groups were followed for 6 years.
- Men in the highest quintile of body mass index were about one and a half times as likely to get cancer during the 6 year followup period compared to men in the lowest quintile. There was no similar increased risk for women.
- Both men and women had an increased risk for colon cancer if they had a large waist — an additional risk of about 40% for men and 50% for women between the highest and lowest quintiles.
- Men and women also had about a 50% increased risk of colon cancer when there was a large difference between waist and hip measurements (WHR) and their waists were larger than their hips.
- Waist hip ratio didn’t appear to affect colon cancer risk for a group of post-menopausal women who also took hormone replacement therapy.
- There was no connection between obesity, abdominal fat, or waist-hip ratio for rectal cancer in this study.
Tobias Pischon MD, MPH and his colleagues reported their findings in the July 5, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. They concluded:
Waist circumference and WHR, indicators of abdominal obesity,were strongly associated with colon cancer risk in men and women in this population. The association of abdominal obesity with colon cancer risk may vary depending on HRT use in post menopausal women; however, these findings require confirmation in future studies.
Pischon et. al. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 98, No. 13, 920-931
An article about the study appears on Reuters Health.
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