A new study co-funded by the World Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK suggests that colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in men and women may differ based on how the body fat is positioned. The findings were published in BMC Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Bristol and the International Agency for Research on Cancer used Mendelian randomisation to examine the effect of different body fat measures on CRC risk in men and women.
The findings showed that a higher body mass index (BMI) was more dangerous for men, whereas a higher waist-to-hip ratio was more dangerous for women. A 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 23 per cent higher risk of CRC in men, but only 9 per cent in women. Conversely, an equivalent increase in waist-to-hip ratio was associated with a 25 per cent higher risk of CRC in women and 5 per cent in men.
Natasha Paton from Cancer Research UK stated that while there are several studies linking BMI with cancer risk, this study adds to the evidence that excess fat around the waist is also a key risk factor.
Dr Emma Vincent, one of the authors from the University of Bristol, said: "We are now working to understand exactly how increased body fat causes colorectal cancer, which may give us new targets for reducing risk. This is important because maintaining weight loss is still very difficult."
