City study reveals link between where fat is stored and bowel cancer

BEING overweight is more dangerous for men than women when it comes to developing bowel cancer, according to new research, but a bigger waist affects women more.

The new study on more than 100,000 people found that where people store fat could play a role in the development of bowel cancer, which kills more than 16,000 people in the UK every year.

Researchers from the University of Bristol and the International

Agency for Research on Cancer found that a higher body mass index (BMI) is more dangerous for men, whereas a higher waist-to-hip ratio (waist circumference divided by hip circumference – a measure of abdominal fat) is more dangerous for women.

The team used genetic information to reach their conclusions, which are published in the journal BMC Medicine. An increase in BMI of about 5kg/m2 raised the risk of bowel cancer in the population by 23 per cent for men, but only 9% for women.

Whereas an equivalent increase in waist-to-hip ratio raised the risk for women by 25 per cent, but this was only 5 per cent for men.

The study was co-funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK. Dr Emma Vincent, from the University of Bristol, said: “Our study, which is the largest to look at the difference between body fat and colorectal (bowel) cancer risk in men and women, reveals the need for a more nuanced approach when trying to prevent cancer.

“We are now working to understand exactly how increased body fat causes colorectal cancer, which may give us new targets for reducing risk.

“This is important because maintaining weight loss is still very difficult.”