Excess weight over lifespan ‘has cumulative effect’ on colorectal cancer risk
A study suggests the impact of adiposity may have been underestimated in studies based on BMI measured at a single time point
Carrying excess weight over several decades is linked to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in a dose–response manner, researchers find.
Their study is the first to investigate the impact of BMI on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk over a person’s lifespan, as opposed to a single point in time, the German team says.
The population-based case-control study looked at 5635 patients with colorectal cancer and 4515 controls, with an average age of 68 for both groups.
The researchers calculated a measure of weighted years lived with overweight or obesity (WYO) by multiplying excess BMI by the self-reported number of years a person has carried the excess weight.
