Obesity in teen boys may increase bowel cancer risk in later life
Conclusion
This large cohort study found obesity in adolescence is linked to later colorectal cancer risk in men.
The very large size of this study is its main strength, along with the fact that BMI was objectively measured by a nurse, and that the national cancer registry in Sweden is estimated to record virtually all cancer cases.
As with all studies, there are limitations. For example, the study:
only had information on BMI at one time point, and could not tell whether the men maintained their BMIs or not
did not have information on diet or smoking, and these are known to impact bowel cancer risk
only analysed one marker for inflammation – results may differ for other markers
findings may not apply to women
Obesity in adulthood is already known to be a risk factor for bowel cancer, therefore the possibility that if a person is obese from an early age also increases risk seems plausible.
Research suggests that you can help lower your risk of bowel cancer by:
cutting down on your consumption of red meat (no more than 70g a day) and processed meat
eating lots of fibre-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables
quitting smoking if you smoke
sticking within recommended alcohol consumption levels
taking regular exercise
Also, adults can take part in the NHS Bowel Screening Programme offered at specific ages (age 55 for one form of screening, and ages 60 to 74 for another).
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Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Food/diet Obesity Pregnancy/child Source Type: news
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