More evidence obesity tied to colon cancer
URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_118320.html(*this news item will not be available after 02/01/2012)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who are heavy, especially around the middle, seem to have a higher risk of developing colon cancer than their thinner peers, a new study finds.
The findings, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, add to evidence that obesity is a risk factor for colon cancer.
They also suggest that exercise could be an important part of the picture, particularly for women.
The study included more than 120,000 Dutch adults ages 55 to 69 who were followed for 16 years. During that time, about two percent developed colorectal cancer (tumors of the colon and/or rectum); most were diagnosed with colon cancer.
The risk, researchers found, was 25 percent higher for men who were significantly overweight or obese at the outset, versus normal-weight men.
And waist size seemed to matter most: Men with the biggest bellies -- gauged by their self-reported "trouser size" -- had a 63 percent greater risk of colorectal cancer than men who were trimmest around the middle.
The findings were more complex among women, though. A large waistline was only linked to a higher cancer risk in women who also got little exercise (less than 30 minutes per day).
Women who topped a "44" in pants size and got little exercise were 83 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than women who had smaller waistlines and exercised more than 90 minutes per day. (A "44" in
Europe translates to about a size 16 in the U.S.)
The study "provides further evidence that excess body fat may contribute to a higher risk of colorectal cancer," lead researcher Laura A.E. Hughes, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, told Reuters Health in an email.
"It is important to maintain a healthy body weight throughout life, as this may lower your risk of colorectal cancer," she said.
It also makes sense that excessive abdominal fat would be particularly linked to the disease, according to Hughes.
Studies have tied abdominal obesity to other health conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. And belly fat seems to be particularly linked to chronic, low-level inflammation in the body, Hughes explained.
That inflammation is thought to be involved in a number of disease processes.
"One of our most intriguing observations," Hughes said, "was that abdominal fat was associated with colorectal cancer in women only when combined with low exercise levels."
It's not clear why that might be, or why the pattern was seen only in women, she said. But the finding hints that calorie balance -- how much you take in through food, and how much you burn through exercise -- may be important, according to Hughes.
So, she said, "women should focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle rather than simply paying attention to what the scale says."
In the U.S., it's estimated that just over 141,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2011, while nearly 50,000 will die from the disease, according to the ACS. The average American has about a 1 in 20 lifetime chance of developing the tumors.
Risk factors for colorectal cancer include older age (it's usually diagnosed after age 50), a history of colitis or Crohn's disease (inflammatory disorders of the colon), a family history of the cancer, and smoking.
Some studies have also linked diets high in animal fat, and low in fruits, vegetables and fiber, to an increased risk.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/rTElMb American Journal of Epidemiology, online October 7, 2011.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who are heavy, especially around the middle, seem to have a higher risk of developing colon cancer than their thinner peers, a new study finds.
The findings, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, add to evidence that obesity is a risk factor for colon cancer.
They also suggest that exercise could be an important part of the picture, particularly for women.
The study included more than 120,000 Dutch adults ages 55 to 69 who were followed for 16 years. During that time, about two percent developed colorectal cancer (tumors of the colon and/or rectum); most were diagnosed with colon cancer.
The risk, researchers found, was 25 percent higher for men who were significantly overweight or obese at the outset, versus normal-weight men.
And waist size seemed to matter most: Men with the biggest bellies -- gauged by their self-reported "trouser size" -- had a 63 percent greater risk of colorectal cancer than men who were trimmest around the middle.
The findings were more complex among women, though. A large waistline was only linked to a higher cancer risk in women who also got little exercise (less than 30 minutes per day).
Women who topped a "44" in pants size and got little exercise were 83 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than women who had smaller waistlines and exercised more than 90 minutes per day. (A "44" in
Europe translates to about a size 16 in the U.S.)
The study "provides further evidence that excess body fat may contribute to a higher risk of colorectal cancer," lead researcher Laura A.E. Hughes, of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, told Reuters Health in an email.
"It is important to maintain a healthy body weight throughout life, as this may lower your risk of colorectal cancer," she said.
It also makes sense that excessive abdominal fat would be particularly linked to the disease, according to Hughes.
Studies have tied abdominal obesity to other health conditions, like diabetes and heart disease. And belly fat seems to be particularly linked to chronic, low-level inflammation in the body, Hughes explained.
That inflammation is thought to be involved in a number of disease processes.
"One of our most intriguing observations," Hughes said, "was that abdominal fat was associated with colorectal cancer in women only when combined with low exercise levels."
It's not clear why that might be, or why the pattern was seen only in women, she said. But the finding hints that calorie balance -- how much you take in through food, and how much you burn through exercise -- may be important, according to Hughes.
So, she said, "women should focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle rather than simply paying attention to what the scale says."
In the U.S., it's estimated that just over 141,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2011, while nearly 50,000 will die from the disease, according to the ACS. The average American has about a 1 in 20 lifetime chance of developing the tumors.
Risk factors for colorectal cancer include older age (it's usually diagnosed after age 50), a history of colitis or Crohn's disease (inflammatory disorders of the colon), a family history of the cancer, and smoking.
Some studies have also linked diets high in animal fat, and low in fruits, vegetables and fiber, to an increased risk.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/rTElMb American Journal of Epidemiology, online October 7, 2011.
Reuters Health
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- More Health News on:
- Colorectal Cancer
- Obesity
- Seniors' Health
Obesity, inactivity tied to common colon disease
URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_118319.html(*this news item will not be available after 02/01/2012)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
By Kerry Grens
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who don't exercise or who are overweight are slightly more likely to be hospitalized for a common disorder of the large intestine called diverticular disease.
The findings, reported by a Swedish research group, come from the largest study yet to look at the relationship between lifestyle, weight and the intestinal abnormality, in which bulging pouches form in the lining of the colon.
"Since the early seventies, the only risk factor for diverticular disease that has been discussed is (the lack of) dietary fiber, but now we have understood that there are other significant contributors to the development of disease," Dr. Fredrik Hjern, the lead author of the study, wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
Hjern and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm gathered data from nearly 40,000 women who participated in a health survey in 1997.
The questions asked about exercise, diet, smoking, time spent watching TV and reading, and other lifestyle and health history details. Researchers also measured the body mass index (BMI) of each woman, a measure of weight relative to height.
Through 2009, the researchers tracked which women were hospitalized for diverticular disease.
Though more than half of people over age 60 have some form of diverticular disease, not all people have symptoms, which can range from mild discomfort to bleeding, tears and extreme pain.
Among the 40,000 women in the Swedish study, 628 were admitted to the hospital because of diverticular disease, and 98 of them had a perforation or pus-filled mass in the colon.
Compared to women who had a normal BMI, which is considered 20 to 25, overweight women with a BMI of 25 to 30 were 29 percent more likely to be hospitalized for diverticular disease.
Obese women, whose BMI was over 30, were 33 percent more likely to be hospitalized.
Similarly, exercising less than 30 minutes a day was tied to an increased risk of going to the hospital compared to women who worked out frequently.
But even with those extra risk factors, hospitalizations for diverticular disease remain rare -- amounting to only 2.2 percent of the obese women, for instance.
The authors estimated that each year, 140 out of 100,000 women are admitted to the hospital because of a flare-up. A 30-percent increase would mean that 182 out of 100,000 women would go to the hospital.
The new study, in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, does not prove that being heavy or inactive causes diverticular disease. And Hjern said he doesn't know how to account for the link.
One possibility is that being overweight could stimulate inflammation and damage the large intestine. Another speculation is that the beneficial bacteria in the gut might be different between obese and normal weight women.
As for the link between exercise and a lower risk of diverticular hospitalizations, that too is unknown, but could perhaps have something to do with pressure on the colon or hormonal changes among those who exercise, Hjern said.
For many cases, diverticular disease is managed by increasing fiber in patients' diets. In the most extreme flare-ups, patients can undergo surgery to remove the damaged part of the colon.
According to Hjern, patients could also lose weight and exercise to try and prevent symptoms.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/vtzxTe, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, online October 18, 2011.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who don't exercise or who are overweight are slightly more likely to be hospitalized for a common disorder of the large intestine called diverticular disease.
The findings, reported by a Swedish research group, come from the largest study yet to look at the relationship between lifestyle, weight and the intestinal abnormality, in which bulging pouches form in the lining of the colon.
"Since the early seventies, the only risk factor for diverticular disease that has been discussed is (the lack of) dietary fiber, but now we have understood that there are other significant contributors to the development of disease," Dr. Fredrik Hjern, the lead author of the study, wrote in an email to Reuters Health.
Hjern and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm gathered data from nearly 40,000 women who participated in a health survey in 1997.
The questions asked about exercise, diet, smoking, time spent watching TV and reading, and other lifestyle and health history details. Researchers also measured the body mass index (BMI) of each woman, a measure of weight relative to height.
Through 2009, the researchers tracked which women were hospitalized for diverticular disease.
Though more than half of people over age 60 have some form of diverticular disease, not all people have symptoms, which can range from mild discomfort to bleeding, tears and extreme pain.
Among the 40,000 women in the Swedish study, 628 were admitted to the hospital because of diverticular disease, and 98 of them had a perforation or pus-filled mass in the colon.
Compared to women who had a normal BMI, which is considered 20 to 25, overweight women with a BMI of 25 to 30 were 29 percent more likely to be hospitalized for diverticular disease.
Obese women, whose BMI was over 30, were 33 percent more likely to be hospitalized.
Similarly, exercising less than 30 minutes a day was tied to an increased risk of going to the hospital compared to women who worked out frequently.
But even with those extra risk factors, hospitalizations for diverticular disease remain rare -- amounting to only 2.2 percent of the obese women, for instance.
The authors estimated that each year, 140 out of 100,000 women are admitted to the hospital because of a flare-up. A 30-percent increase would mean that 182 out of 100,000 women would go to the hospital.
The new study, in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, does not prove that being heavy or inactive causes diverticular disease. And Hjern said he doesn't know how to account for the link.
One possibility is that being overweight could stimulate inflammation and damage the large intestine. Another speculation is that the beneficial bacteria in the gut might be different between obese and normal weight women.
As for the link between exercise and a lower risk of diverticular hospitalizations, that too is unknown, but could perhaps have something to do with pressure on the colon or hormonal changes among those who exercise, Hjern said.
For many cases, diverticular disease is managed by increasing fiber in patients' diets. In the most extreme flare-ups, patients can undergo surgery to remove the damaged part of the colon.
According to Hjern, patients could also lose weight and exercise to try and prevent symptoms.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/vtzxTe, The American Journal of Gastroenterology, online October 18, 2011.
Reuters Health
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- More Health News on:
- Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis
- Obesity
- Women's Health
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario