Adiposity, metabolites, and colorectal cancer risk: Mendelian randomization study

In a new study published in the journal BMC Medicine, scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions examined sex- and site-specific associations of adiposity with risk of colorectal cancer. The results suggest that a higher body mass index (BMI) raises the risk of developing colorectal cancer more in men than it does in women, whereas a higher waist-to-hip ratio raises the risk of developing colorectal cancer more in women than it does in men.

The study included data from almost 130 000 people. Adiposity was associated with numerous metabolic alterations, but none of these explained associations between adiposity and development of colorectal cancer. More detailed metabolomic measures are likely to be needed to clarify the mechanistic pathways.

Bull CJ, Bell JA, Murphy N, Sanderson E, Davey Smith G, Timpson NJ, et al.
Adiposity, metabolites, and colorectal cancer risk: Mendelian randomization study
BMC Med, Published online 17 December 2020;
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01855-9

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