Long‐term status of predicted body fat percentage, body mass index and other anthropometric factors with risk of colorectal carcinoma: Two large prospective cohort studies in the US

Abstract

Anthropometric measurements, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and body fat percentage, have been used as indicators of obesity. Despite evidence that excess body fat is a risk factor for colorectal carcinoma (CRC), the magnitude of the association of BMI and other obesity indicators with the long‐term risk of CRC remains unclear. Utilizing a Cox proportional hazards regression model, we examined differential associations between predicted body fat percentage and BMI with the risk of CRC (n = 2,017). The associations between CRC incidence and different adiposity measurements were also assessed. Predicted body fat percentage had a similar increased risk of CRC risk as BMI. In multivariable‐adjusted analyses, the hazard ratio for CRC in the second to fifth quintiles (compared to the first quintile) of predicted body fat percentage were 1.32, 1.31, 1.53 and 2.09 for men (ptrend < 0.001) and 0.91, 0.90, 0.98 and 1.15 for women (ptrend = 0.03). Among various anthropometric measurements, predicted fat mass and waist circumference were slightly more strongly associated with CRC risk than BMI. In conclusion, the novel anthropometric prediction equations provided further evidence that a greater amount of body fat might contribute to CRC risk in both sexes. An innovative approach enabled us to estimate the susceptibilities of specific body composition with CRC risk, in an inexpensive and minimally invasive manner. Furthermore, the typically used measures of BMI and waist circumference are robust measures of adiposity to predict cancer risk in a relatively healthy population.

Body mass index, weight change, and cancer prognosis: a meta-analysis and systematic review of 73 cohort studies

“… 125 However, the study by Hanyuda et al. 126 found that the percentage of body fat was quite positively correlated with CRC mortality, which is inconsistent with the finding that ‘overweight is a good protective factor for survival in CRC’ in our study. This suggests that there may be differences in the effects of different obesity indicators on CRC progression, and further exploratory studies are needed in the future.…”

Expression of Autophagic and Inflammatory Markers in Normal Mucosa of Individuals with Colorectal Adenomas: A Cross Sectional Study among Italian Outpatients Undergoing Colonoscopy

“…Other interesting findings are related to the analysis of the correlation between anthropometric measures, lifestyle and gender differences with the presence of adenomas at endoscopy. Although many reports show that excess body fat is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, the extent of the association of BMI and other indicators of overweight with long-term risk of CRC remains unclear [46]. The data collected did not show a statistically significant correlation between waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (used as an indicator of central adiposity), BMI and the presence of adenomas.…”

Abdominal volume index, waist-to-height ratio, and waist circumference are optimal predictors of cardiometabolic abnormalities in a sample of Lebanese adults: A cross-sectional study

“…Clinicians have long been using BMI as a proxy measure for adiposity and screener for cardiometabolic risk [ 43 ]. Our results do not support the routine use of BMI for this aim, considering the more reliable indices that we have identified, especially since BMI does not account for muscle mass nor does it identify whether excess fat is accumulating in the abdominal region [ 44 ].…”