Cancer risk from obesity differs for men and women

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/uob-crf121520.php

 

News Release 16-Dec-2020
University of Bristol

 

This large study included over 100,000* people and was led by researchers at the University of Bristol and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. They found that a higher BMI (body mass index; a measure of total fat) is more dangerous for men, whereas a higher waist-to-hip ratio (your waist circumference divided by your hip circumference; a measure of abdominal fat) is more dangerous for women.


•••••

An increase in BMI of about five kg/m2 raised the risk of colorectal cancer by 23 per cent for men, but only nine per cent for women. Whereas an equivalent increase in waist-to-hip ratio raised the risk for women by 25 per cent, this was only five per cent for men. Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK but the second deadliest1, yet it is one of the most preventable cancers by eating a balanced diet, being active and maintaining a healthy weight. 

•••••