 We all have been hearing the
message in the media that
obesity is linked
to higher chances of getting
several serious illnesses. Being obese may not be good,
but it appears that where
you store your fat matters
even more than just being
fat, especially when it
comes to men.
According to a recent study that
appears in the American
Journal of Clinical
Nutrition (September 2007; vol 86: pp 556-565), men are
especially
susceptible to developing
colon cancer in proportion
to the size of their waists.
Scientists researched 30
long term colon cancer
studies, and found that
there is a strong link
between obesity in men and
colon cancer. This study
also showed that obesity did
not affect women in the same
way; there seems to be less
of a link between obesity in
women and colon cancer. The
same results were also found
concerning rectal cancer,
men were much more at risk
than women if they are
obese.
This study concludes that
the amount of belly fat a
person has, increases the
chance of colon and rectal
cancer. The study sites
that, "for every 4 inches
gained around the waist, the
risk of colon cancer goes up
33% in men and 16% in
women." The researchers have
yet to figure out why belly
fat in particular, as
opposed to obesity in
general raises the risk of
developing colon and rectal
cancers, particularly in
men.
The message of this
research is that it is
important to keep your
weight under control and to
make appointments to have a
colonoscopy if you are in
this high risk group. Colon
and rectal cancers have much
better survivability rates
when found in their early
stages. Even men who are not
clinically obese but carry
around a bit of a spare tire
in the middle might want to
start doing some sit-ups!
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