Experts say that the longer a person is fat, the more likely he or she will develop intestinal cancer.

New studies show that the longer a person is fat, the more likely he or she will develop intestinal cancer. The more years you are overweight or obese, the higher your risk of developing the disease. Scientists likened it to the “cumulative effects of smoking” on lung cancer. The findings are based on more than 10,000 people who have been followed for almost 20 years.

People with an overall bulging waistline were 2.5 times more likely than their peers to maintain a normal BMI (body mass index). The number of cases of participants who carried extra weight for several years increased by 25%. Prices went up directly in parallel with the time spent sick. Studies in JAMA oncology have shown that an unhealthy lifestyle is a greater factor than previously feared.

“The results of this case-control study show more cumulative lifetime overweight at risk of colorectal cancer than was estimated by conventional analysis based on BMI measurements performed at any given time,” said corresponding author Professor Hermann Brenner. It suggests that it has a big role to play. “

A team at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg found that these ranged from 4 to 27 percent, depending on how high they were. Intestinal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United Kingdom. It kills 16,500 people a year. About 43,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Fat is thought to cause tumors by secreting chemicals that cause inflammation. The UK is called the “fat man in Europe” and almost two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.

Professor Brenner and colleagues compared 5,635 patients with intestinal cancer diagnosed in Germany since 2003 with 4,515 healthy controls. They calculated the number of years each individual lived with a BMI of 25 or higher. A healthy BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. In recent years, obesity has been associated with a 7-60 percent increase in the risk of bowel cancer. Professor Brenner said: “The results of our study were consistent with these previous studies when BMI was considered only at a single point in time.

“However, few studies have evaluated the association of examining BMI at different points of life. We have examined BMI at different ages and overweight between the ages of 20 and 70 has a clear dose-response relationship for colorectal cancer. We found that it was associated with the risk of being overweight or obese because the observed association is a persistent risk factor throughout the life of an adult. Consideration of cumulative exposure to overweight over a lifetime is essential to reveal its full effect. “

The proposed concept is similar to how cigarettes increase the risk of lung cancer and other tumors associated with smoking. Professor Brenner explains: “Calculations of cumulative lifetime exposure have become a standard measure of other risk factors. For example, pack years are widely used as a measure of lifetime cumulative smoking exposure and may be associated with a variety of risks. Shown. Examples of smoking-related disorders, including multiple cancers. In contrast, such measures are not widely used for other risk factors such as overweight. “

According to the World Health Organization, at least 300 million adults are obese and 1.4 billion are overweight. Overweight is associated with more than 12 types of cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even dementia.

Professor Brenner added: “Measures to stop and reverse the prevalence of overweight and obesity may prevent colorectal cancer and perhaps most of the other obesity-related cancers.”

BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilos by the square of your height in meters. Healthy weight is between 18.5 and 24.9. Less than 18.5 are underweight, 25-29.9 are overweight, and over 30 are obese.