DOC News September 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 9 p. 15
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Colon Cancer Risk Tied to BMI
People with a body mass index (BMI) greater than normal show an elevated
risk of colon cancer, according to a recent study.
Investigators analyzed data from the National Institutes of Health-American
Association for Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study, which
includes 307,708 men and 209,436 women who were followed during the period
1995–2001. During that time, clinicians observed >3,300 cases of
colorectal cancer in the study
cohort.
Investigators noted a BMI correlation with colon cancer, but not with
rectal cancer. The link was strongest among men. Men who were over-weight,
with a BMI 25–27.5, were 22% more likely to develop colon cancer than
men with normal BMI. The risk of colon cancer rose in an almost linear fashion
with BMI; a man with a BMI
40 was nearly twice as likely to develop colon
cancer as a man in the normal range.
The association held true for women as well, although not as strongly. The
link between BMI and colon cancer was stronger among women ages 50–60
than it was among those ages 67–71. Also, the risk of colon cancer in
women appeared unrelated to whether or not they were on hormone replacement
therapy.
Adams KF, Leitzmann MF, Albanes D, et al.: Body mass index
and colorectal cancer risk in the NIH-AARP cohort. Am J
Epidemiol 166:36-45, 2007.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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