New research suggests that a larger waist circumference is a bigger risk factor than body mass index (BMI) for obesity-related cancers in men, although this is not the case for women.
The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found the risk of cancer jumps up when the waist circumference increases by a specific amount.
The Swedish study was led by researchers from Lund University, which analysed data from 340,000 Swedish people with an average age of 51, whose BMI and waist circumference were measured between 1981 and 2019.
These measurements were then compared to cancer diagnoses obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. The study revealed striking gender differences in how body measurements relate to cancer risk.
For men, an increase in waist circumference of around 11cm resulted in a 25 per cent higher risk of obesity-related cancer.
This was significantly more predictive than BMI, which only showed a 19 per cent increased risk.
For women, however, the picture was different. An increase of about 12cm in waist circumference and an increase in BMI were both linked to the same level of elevated cancer risk of 13 per cent.
Overall, researchers found waist circumference to be a more accurate cancer predictor than BMI.
The researchers explained: "BMI is a measure of body size, but does not provide information on fat distribution, whereas waist circumference is a proxy more closely related to abdominal adiposity. Consequently, waist circumference is a more accurate measure of visceral fat in men than in women."
According to the Cleveland Clinic: "Visceral fat is belly fat found deep within your abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs, including your stomach, liver and intestines."
One key reason for the gender difference is that men typically store fat viscerally (in the belly), while women accumulate more subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and peripheral fat (in the arms and legs).
Excess body fat is also linked to higher insulin levels in men than in women, potentially explaining the stronger cancer risk connection.
Obesity-related cancers identified in the study include several types affecting different parts of the body.
These include cancers of the oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), gastric (cardia), colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
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The researchers emphasised that individuals with similar BMIs may have distinct cancer risks due to differences in fat distribution.
They said: "The divergence in how waist circumference and BMI relate to cancer risk between men and women underscores the complexity of the impact of adiposity on cancer development.
"It suggests that considering biological and physiological differences between the sexes might be helpful when assessing cancer risk."
Further research is required to explore these sex differences in more detail concerning cancer risk.
Find Out More...
The findings, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found the risk of cancer jumps up when the waist circumference increases by a specific amount.
The Swedish study was led by researchers from Lund University, which analysed data from 340,000 Swedish people with an average age of 51, whose BMI and waist circumference were measured between 1981 and 2019.
These measurements were then compared to cancer diagnoses obtained from the Swedish Cancer Register. The study revealed striking gender differences in how body measurements relate to cancer risk.
For men, an increase in waist circumference of around 11cm resulted in a 25 per cent higher risk of obesity-related cancer.
This was significantly more predictive than BMI, which only showed a 19 per cent increased risk.
For women, however, the picture was different. An increase of about 12cm in waist circumference and an increase in BMI were both linked to the same level of elevated cancer risk of 13 per cent.
Overall, researchers found waist circumference to be a more accurate cancer predictor than BMI.
The researchers explained: "BMI is a measure of body size, but does not provide information on fat distribution, whereas waist circumference is a proxy more closely related to abdominal adiposity. Consequently, waist circumference is a more accurate measure of visceral fat in men than in women."
According to the Cleveland Clinic: "Visceral fat is belly fat found deep within your abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs, including your stomach, liver and intestines."
One key reason for the gender difference is that men typically store fat viscerally (in the belly), while women accumulate more subcutaneous fat (under the skin) and peripheral fat (in the arms and legs).
Excess body fat is also linked to higher insulin levels in men than in women, potentially explaining the stronger cancer risk connection.
Obesity-related cancers identified in the study include several types affecting different parts of the body.
These include cancers of the oesophagus (adenocarcinoma), gastric (cardia), colon, rectum, liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
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The researchers emphasised that individuals with similar BMIs may have distinct cancer risks due to differences in fat distribution.
They said: "The divergence in how waist circumference and BMI relate to cancer risk between men and women underscores the complexity of the impact of adiposity on cancer development.
"It suggests that considering biological and physiological differences between the sexes might be helpful when assessing cancer risk."
Further research is required to explore these sex differences in more detail concerning cancer risk.
Find Out More...