CANCER DIGEST – May 27, 2017 – Scientists have found that carrying fat around your middle could be as good an indicator of cancer risk as body mass index (BMI), according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
This is the first study comparing adult body measurements in such a standardized way for obesity-related cancers. The study combined data from more than 43,000 participants who had been followed for an average of 12 years and more than 1,600 people were diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer.
Using a new approach, scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO) showed that three different measurements of body size, BMI, waist circumference, and waist to hip ratio all predicted similar obesity-related cancer risk in older adults.
It shows that adding about 11cm (4.3 inches) to the waistline increased the risk of obesity related cancers by 13 per cent. For bowel cancer, adding around 8 cm (3 inches) to the hips is linked to an increased risk of 15 per cent.
Being overweight or obese is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking and is linked to 13 types of cancer including bowel, breast, and pancreatic. Carrying excess body fat can change the levels of sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, can cause levels of insulin to rise, and lead to inflammation, all of which are factors that have been associated with increased cancer risk.
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