Alcohol, Cigarettes and Diabetes Up Colorectal Cancer Risk

09 june 2009-- It's been known for some time that obesity and eating lots of red meat can raise the risk of colorectal cancer, but new research sheds light on other lifestyle factors that increase risk.

Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and having diabetes also play a major role in determining who is going to develop colorectal cancer, study findings show.

And although exercise seemed to help ward off colorectal cancer, eating lots of fruits and vegetables didn't, according to researchers at The George Institute for International Health in Australia.

"Most people probably know that being overweight and having poor dietary habits are risk factors for the disease," said study author Rachel Huxley, an associate professor at The George Institute. "But most are probably unaware that other lifestyle risk factors such as alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and diabetes are also important culprits," she said in a news release from the institute.

Not counting skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among U.S. adults, according to the American Cancer Society. An estimated 50,000 people will die of colorectal cancer this year in the United States.

Worldwide, about one million new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed annually and more than half a million people die, according to background information in the news release.

In the new study, Huxley and colleagues reviewed more than 100 published reports linking colorectal cancer and modifiable risk factors such as alcohol, smoking, diabetes, physical activity and diet.

The researchers found that people who consumed more than seven drinks a week had a 60 percent greater risk of developing the cancer compared to non-drinkers.

Smoking, obesity and diabetes were also associated with a 20 percent greater risk of developing colorectal cancer, about the same risk as consuming high intakes of red and processed meat, they noted.

The study also found that physical activity lowered the risk of the disease but there was little evidence that high intakes of fruit and vegetables were protective against colorectal cancer.

"These findings strongly suggest that a large proportion of colorectal cancer cases could potentially be avoided by making relatively modest lifestyle adjustments such as drinking less, quitting smoking, eating healthily and being a little more active," Huxley said. "Such changes would also have huge benefits in terms of reducing an individuals' risk of developing other major forms of illness including cardiovascular disease."

Metabolic syndrome ups colorectal cancer risk

Orlando, FL, 10 oct 2008– In a large U.S. population-based study presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, metabolic syndrome patients had a 75 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to those without metabolic syndrome.
Dr. Donald Garrow and Dr. Mark Delegge of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston analyzed data of patients who reported a history of metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a comprehensive nationally representative study conducted each year by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Metabolic syndrome was defined as having a combination of three common chronic medical conditions: hypertension, diabetes and elevated cholesterol. The risk of colorectal cancer among patients with metabolic syndrome was determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis, controlling for age, race, gender, obesity, smoking and alcohol use.
"Since individuals with the metabolic syndrome have a significantly higher lifetime risk of colorectal cancer, they should closely adhere to published guidelines for colorectal cancer screening," said Dr. Garrow.
About Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors linked to overweight and obesity that increase your chance for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other serious health problems.
Having just one of these conditions — increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist, or abnormal cholesterol levels — contributes to your risk of serious disease. Losing weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising routinely can help to reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome.
New Education Tools From GI Experts Address Obesity and GI Disease
The American College of Gastroenterology recognizes that the epidemic of obesity is of particular relevance to gastroenterologists because of the clearly documented associations of obesity with a number of gastrointestinal disease risk factors and outcomes, including mortality rates and unfavorable risk profiles.
The ACG has developed new resource tools to help physicians incorporate patient education on the risks overweight and obesity. These educational resources on weight and GI health are available on the ACG Web site at www.acg.gi.org/obesity.
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Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 10,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients.