Why your waist measurement can predict cancer risk
Published 2 Jun 2017
An expanding waistline could be a warning sign that a man or woman is running an increased risk of certain cancers, according to international experts.
Scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is an arm of the World Health Organisation, have shown that waist measurement is as good at predicting cancer risk as body mass index (BMI), which is a ratio of weight to height.
According to Dr Heinz Freisling of IARC, the lead author of a study in the British Journal of Cancer, the increased risk of certain cancers, as well as type 2 diabetes, kicks in at a waist measurement of 102cm (40in) for men and 88cm (35in) for women.
He advises people to know their BMI and also to measure their waistlines. “You only need to put a tape measure around your belly button. This is easy to do and can give a person an indication of whether their risk for specific cancers is increased or not – for instance pancreas or liver cancer which are known to be related to increased body fatness or obesity.”
Being overweight or obese is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking and is linked to 13 types of cancer including bowel, breast, and pancreas.
The study looked at BMI, waist measurement, and waist to hip ratio to find out how good these were at predicting increased risk of obesity-related cancers.
It showed that adding about 11cm to the waistline increased the risk of obesity-related cancers by 13%. For bowel cancer, adding around 8cm to the hips was linked to an increased risk of 15%.
The study combined data from about 43,000 participants who had been followed for an average of 12 years and more than 1,600 people were diagnosed with an obesity-related cancer.
The main problem with BMI, the standard measure of obesity, is that a high ratio can be caused by dense muscles in an athlete as well as excess fat in somebody who is obese. Waist measurement can reflect the visceral fat, wrapped around the body organs, which is known to be a risk for cancer.
Freisling said: “Our findings show that both BMI and where body fat is carried on the body can be good indicators of obesity-related cancer risk. Specifically, fat carried around the waist may be important for certain cancers, but requires further investigation. To better reflect the underlying biology at play, we think it’s important to study more than just BMI when looking at cancer risk. And our research adds further understanding to how people’s body shape could increase their risk.”
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That's got me worried as my waistline is in that 'danger - as risk' region. I'm on a diet of sorts as my wife has joined Slimming World and I am going along with her diet. I've lost a couple of pounds then put it back on. I received a Fitbit for my birthday and this I use as a gauge how my health is progressing. The weight is still an issue and will be until I manage to have it under control.
Hi @Sutherland,
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your diet?
Hi. The diet is nothing special. We watch what carbs we eat and when we eat them. Cutting portion sizes. Eating more vegetables (steamed). Exercising where and when possible. We have both recovered from hip replacement surgery so weight is an issue and with this diet we hope to lose weight, which we are.
My wife has other serious health issues - Type 2 Diabetes (borderline), Cardiomyopathy, Chronic Kidney Disease & Sleep Apnea. She survived Breast Cancer but blames the Chemo for this all these serious health issues. She was told to lose weight and hence the diet.
I do most of the cooking and attempt to stick to the diet where possible.
We have our tea and don't at anything until our breakfast.
As I've said, this is no special diet just watching what we eat.
Iain
Hi Margarita.
You recent posting is informative and I am well aware of the health hazards of being overweight, which I am classed as. My local council created as part of their health incentive, Midlothian Active Choices, MAC for short. It encourages people with health issues access to the council gyms at a vastly reduced price. I have been part of this scheme for the past 3 months to help me back to fitness after my hip replacement. I also qualify through my depression. I filled in a form for the continuation of my MAC for the next 6 months and as part of the form I had to work out my BMI. In three months it has come down from 32 to 29. My weight has also decreased my 4lbs. Not much but its a start.
With me being overweight and combined with my other health issues I run a high risk of heart attack and strokes, which both claimed my parents. Cancer is one that doesn't come to mind but I know it is a threat.
We've mentioned cancers through being overweight, which would be the most likely to strike? Prostrate, bowel, stomach???? As I am over 50 the Scottish NHS send me a pack every two years to screen my bowels traces of blood, which indicates the likelihood of cancer lurking in my bowels. Just completed my 4th test and came back clear.
My depression is on the rise as I'm looking at unemployment again. Coupled with recent few 'bad dates' I've had. However, I'll survive!
Bye for now
Iain S.
