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.
