The link between certain body conformations and the risk of colorectal cancer

Repeated studies have shown the link between obesity, height and increased risk of cancer, including colorectal cancer. For example, a study published in 2022 showed that people who are tall and obese around the abdomen, as well as people with general obesity, have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Body conformation and colorectal cancer risk

A team of researchers analyzed data reported for 329,828 UK Biobank participants of Caucasian, African, Asian and/or Chinese descent and showed that this pattern exists across all these groups.

For this study, published in Science Advances, researchers looked at the impact of height, obesity and body fat distribution on individual colorectal cancer risk. Participants were divided into four groups based on their body shape, defined by height and fat distribution. They used data on body mass index, height, weight, waist-to-hip ratio, waist and hip circumference to determine which group each individual fell into.

The four groups studied for colorectal cancer risk:

1. Generally obese people
2. Tall people, but with more distributed fat mass
3. Tall, centrally obese people
4. People with shorter height, higher weight and higher BMI but with smaller hip and waist measurements.

It found that individuals in group 1 had a 10% higher risk of colorectal cancer, and those in group 3 had a 12% higher risk of colorectal cancer, which increased to 18% for women.

The other two groups showed a small but not significant increase in the risk of colorectal cancer.

Higher height, more cancer cells?

“There is strong evidence that there is a general effect of height on cancer risk,” Leonard Nunney, a professor of biology and evolutionary biologist at the University of California, who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today.

He previously conducted analyzes that showed that the 10% increase in cancer risk seen for every 4 inches in height is due to a greater number of cells in the body of taller people.

The authors of the study argue that the role of height in the risk of developing cancer has been overestimated in previous research that did not take into account the ratio of waist to height, and therefore central adiposity.

Is height or fat a risk factor for colorectal cancer?

Nunney explained that he is not aware of any data on the size or relative amount of colorectal tissue that people have in relation to their height. It is difficult to understand whether these findings of increased risk of colorectal cancer are due to a higher number of cells or due to increased adiposity, or both.

“That amount of tissue is likely to be affected not only by height but also by body shape,” he added.

The next step for the research team is to identify the genes that underlie the relationship between body shapes and gene expression. This fact will help explain the mechanisms underlying their latest findings.

“We will try to identify how different body conformations affect the composition of proteins in our body, which will help to better understand the link between different body shapes and the development of cancer,” Freisling said.

Sources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/2-body-types-may-be-linked-higher-colorectal-cancer-risk

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj1987

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-022-02071-3

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