The longer a person is overweight, the higher the risk of developing colorectal cancer –

Being overweight or obese at any point in life can increase a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer, and the longer a person is overweight, the greater the risk, a new study finds.

Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, a little less than 200 miles from Munich, found that being overweight gradually increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer, similar to how smoking increases the risk of lung cancer.

The research team believes the link between being overweight or obese and the development of a potentially devastating form of cancer is stronger than many realize.

For a country like the United States, where 42% of Americans over the age of 20 are obese and 74% overweight, this research has major implications for the country’s healthcare system.

Publishing their findings Thursday in JAMA Oncology, the researchers gathered data from more than 10,000 study participants. Of the research team, 5,600 had colon cancer.

The study was conducted over a twenty-year period using height and weight data collected as early as 2003.

Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each participant each year. The metric is often used as an easy way to calculate what a healthy weight is for a person relative to their height.

Dr. Study co-author Michael Hoffmeister (pictured) compared being overweight to smoking because it increases a person’s lifetime risk, even if they later reverse their habits.

A BMI over 25 is considered overweight, while anything over 40 is considered obese.

Researchers found that each BMI point above 25 that a person has recorded over the years slightly increases their chances of developing colorectal cancer.

Even if the person subsequently reduces their weight to a healthy level, the effect of the previous weight on the body will continue.

Dr. Michael Hoffmeister, one of the study’s authors and vice-chairman of the German Cancer Center, told DailyMail.com that it works similarly to how smoking can increase a person’s lifetime risk of lung cancer.

“Our study suggests that being overweight may have a much stronger effect on colorectal cancer risk than other studies have revealed…because we’ve been overweight for life,” she said.

“The concept is a bit like smoking, you count how many packs you’ve smoked per day over the years and… even if that person stops using the pack, they’ll still be there… [the] The overweight backpack didn’t go away.’

Exactly why this happens and how obesity plays a role in the development of colorectal cancers is not fully understood by scientists.

However, the link between being overweight and developing cancer has long been known.

Colorectal cancer is a term that describes cancer of the colon and rectum. It can be detected early with colonoscopy, which is especially recommended for Americans over the age of 50.

In the United States, more than 100,000 cases are discovered each year and are responsible for approximately 45,000 deaths each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The CDC reports that over 70% of Americans are overweight and over 40% are obese. Obesity is linked to heart disease, diabetes and other conditions

Hoffmeister notes that these numbers have increased in recent years, corresponding to a sharp increase in the number of overweight or obese Americans.

He believes that as America continues to fight obesity, the rate of colorectal cancer will worsen.

“It can certainly increase the rate of colorectal cancer … it has become more common in recent years,” he said.

“What we expect to see is that we expect more cases of colon cancer in the future as the prevalence of overweight and obesity increases, but it will take some time.”

While a systemic increase in colorectal cancer is predicted to hit America in the coming decades, someone struggling with their weight can still make changes now.

Hoffmeister states that an obese person is at greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even other diseases such as Covid, and they should talk to their doctor about better ways to lose weight and reduce their risk.