A large waist is a red flag for cancer . This is how compelling is the conclusion of a study carried out by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland), the Hellenic Foundation (Greece), and numerous other institutions both in Europe and In the US, research has found that the larger the waist, the greater the risk of cancer.
The study used data from several European studies with more than 43,400 adults between the ages of 50 and 84 , who were followed for 12 years.
The results determined that for every 11 centimeters of increase in waist circumference, the risk of cancer increased by 13% for each of the obesity-related cancers , such as liver or kidney cancer. The biggest increase was for colorectal cancer: for every 11 centimeters more, the risk increased by 22%.
For the study, the experts wanted to determine whether different measures of weight and the distribution of body fat were linked to the development of various cancers. Therefore, the following factors were taken into account: sex, age of entry into the study, smoking, daily alcohol consumption, level of physical activity, educational level and use of hormonal therapy, in the case Women’s.
During the follow-up period, 1,656 people developed obesity-related cancer : female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lower esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, gallbladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, endometrial cancer, cancer ovarian or kidney cancer.
Cancer in numbers
Thus, for every 10.8 cm increase in waist circumference, the risk increased:
– 13% for any obesity-related cancer
– 21% for colorectal cancer
– 21% for postmenopausal breast cancer in women who had not used hormone replacement therapy
The researchers say that, “overall, our results underscore the importance of avoiding excess body fat for cancer prevention , regardless of age and gender.”
Caveats
The conclusions of this study are, therefore, in line with previous research that has found that excess weight increases the risk of certain types of cancer. However, there are some limitations to take into account , since the researchers did not assess factors such as diet, any other medical condition, the difference in the amount of exercise and its impact on risk, or the fact that the time spent follow-up may not have been long enough for some cancers to develop.
Be that as it may, the study adds to the growing body of research indicating that a healthy BMI, waist circumference, and standardized waist-to-hip measurements reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases such as diabetes.
The work has been published in the British Journal of Cancer.
Referencia: Freisling H, Arnold M, Soerjomataram I, et al. Comparison of general obesity and measures of body fat distribution in older adults in relation to cancer risk: meta-analysis of individual participant data of seven prospective cohorts in Europe. British Journal of Cancer (2017) 116, 1486–1497. doi:10.1038/bjc.2017.106
