Credit: PEXELS Anna Tarazevich
The body size and excessive weight that are generally evaluated using the body mass index (BMI) are well -established risk factors for many types of cancers. However, a new study that will be published in the European Parliament this year (Eco 2025Malaga, Spain, May 11-14) Journal The waist circumference (WC) shows that it is a stronger risk marker than the BMI for developing male obesity -related cancer.
This study is Dr. Ming Sun, Josef Fritz and Dr. Tanja Stocks, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues.
This study analyzed the data of 339,190 individuals collected from various Swedish populations that received health evaluation through BMI and WC evaluation in 1981-2019 (61% objectively measured, 39% report, average 51.4 years). Cancer diagnosis was obtained from the Swedish cancer registration.
Established obesity -related cancer (IARC) (IARC) is an esophageal esophageal (adenocarcinoma), stomach (heart), colon, rectum, liver/bile duct, postmenopausal ovary, kidney cell carcinoma, meninga, thyroid and multiple myeloma.
The author calculates the relative risks related to the obesity -related cancers of WC and BMI and considered many factors that can affect the results, such as social demographic factors, including age, smoking habits and education levels, income, birth countries and marriages.
The WC tends to be more accurate and consistently than BMI. To ensure fair comparisons, researchers have adjusted the measurement error of WC and BMI. This adjustment allows you to compare the calculated relative risk of WC and BMI more directly.
Finally, since WC and BMI are measured in different scale (1 standard deviation (SD) = 3.7 and 4.3 kg/m2 When calculating the relative risk of 1-SD increase, the increase in WC and BMI shows a similar size, so it is possible to directly compare the relevant relative risks, and for men and women, 10.8 and 11.8 cm for men and women, respectively, for men and women, respectively.
During the 14 -year average follow -up period, 18,185 obese cancers were recorded. For men, the increase of WC of about 11 cm (for example, 100.8cm vs. 90cm WC) had a 25% higher risk of obese cancer.
In comparison, BMI increases 3.7 kg/m2 (Example: BMI Comparison 27.7 kg/M2 24 kg/m2) The risk of an increase of 19%. Also, after explaining the BMI, the high WC still remained a risk factor for obesity -related cancer in men. This suggests that the increased risk associated with abdominal fat is specific and that the body size alone, as measured by BMI, is not explained.
Among women, the association was weak and similar to both WC and BMI. For example, an increase of about 12cm around the waist (for example, WC and 91.8cm vs. 80.0cm) and 4.3kg/m increase.2 BMI (e.g. BMI’s 28.3 kg/m2 24kg/m2) The risk of obesity -related cancer was 13% higher.
The author said, “BMI is a measure of body size, but it does not provide information on fat distribution, but the waist circumference is more closely related to abdominal fat.
“These differences are important because the visceral fat accumulated around the abdominal organs is more metabolic activity and is involved in malicious health results, including insulin resistance, inflammation and abnormal blood fat levels. As a result, individuals with similar BMI can have a clear risk of cancer due to the difference in fat distribution.”
In the difference between men and women, they are more likely to keep men fat, and women generally accumulate more subcutaneous and peripheral fats, while the waist is more accurate measurement of male visceral fat than women.
“This can make the waist circumference into a stronger risk factor of the cancer of men and explain why the waist circumference adds more dangerous information than the BMI delivered in men.”
“Including a risk model in the risk model, the circumference of the hip hip provides additional insights on these gender differences, especially for women to improve the connection between WC and cancer. Especially for women, the combination of waist circumference and hip joints better than the waist circumference.”
They explained that the concentration of insulin, which circulates in men, especially in central, especially in men, is higher than women.
This can also partially explain why WC is more closely related to men’s cancer risks.
They say, “The release of the waist circumference and BMI is associated with cancer risks between men and women emphasizes the complexity of fat’s influence on cancer development. It suggests that it is helpful to consider gender and physiological differences when evaluating the risk of cancer, which suggests that further research is needed to explore these gender differences.
“Our research provides evidence that the waist circumference is more powerful than BMI on male obesity -related cancer, but the waist circumference seems to provide additional risk information beyond what men are delivered.
“In women, WC’s weaker contribution to WC can be caused by gender interaction with fat measurements such as sex hormones, obesity risks, or the method of waist circumference and BMI reflecting body fat in male vs. women.
“Future research, which integrates more accurate fat measurements with comprehensive data on potential confusion factors, can further reveal the relationship between body fat distribution and cancer risk.”
Additional information:
National Cancer Research Institute Journal (2025)
Provided by the European Association for Obesity Research
recall: Waist circumference surpasses BMI as a male -related cancer risk marker, but women (March 22, 2025) were confirmed on March 24, 2025.
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