Being overweight or obese can raise the risk of colorectal cancer, new research has found.
Colorectal cancer forms in the colon or rectum.
The study, published in the JAMA Network on May 10, analyzed 135,161 individuals aged 55–74 to assess the link between body mass index (BMI) and the risks of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers like colorectal cancer (CRC).
During the follow-up, 34,946 individuals were diagnosed with cancer, accounting for 25.9 percent of the total participants. Out of this, 5,088 were GI cancers, with 2,803 colorectal cancers.
“Overweight BMI in early adulthood and overweight BMI in middle adulthood and later adulthood as well as obese BMI in middle adulthood and later adulthood were associated with increased risk of CRC,” the study said….