Colon Cancer: Is Teenage Weight a Risk for Men?

Body mass index (BMI) as well as inflammation as reflected by the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in late adolescence appear to be independently associated with mild-life colorectal cancer (CRC), a Swedish study indicates. Compared with men who had a normal BMI of 18.5 to < 25 kg/m2 at the age of 16 to 20, men who were overweight with upper BMI of between 27.5 to < 30 kg/m2 at the same point in time had a 2.08-fold higher risk of CRC (95% CI: 1.40-30.907) at an average follow-up some 35 years later.