Metabolic Health Linked to Postmenopausal Women’s Colorectal Cancer Risk

A new study connects subpar metabolic health with a greater likelihood of colorectal cancer in normal-weight women.

Acknowledging that the prevalence of metabolically unhealthy phenotype in normal-weight adults is generally considered to be roughly 30%, the authors point out that previous research has largely failed to explore the association between metabolic phenotype and colorectal cancer incidence in normal-weight individuals. As such, the investigators' aim was "to compare the risk of colorectal cancer in normal-weight postmenopausal women who were characterized by either the metabolically healthy phenotype or the metabolically unhealthy phenotype."

Using a large prospective cohort, the Women's Health Initiative, the researchers' sample included 5068 postmenopausal women with a body mass index (BMI) 18.5 to <25 kg/m². The authors defined metabolic phenotype using the Adult Treatment Panel-III definition, excluding waist circumference. As such, women with 1 or none of the 4 components (elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose) were deemed to be metabolically healthy.

Over a mean follow-up period of 14.3 years, 64 of the 3358 women classified as metabolically healthy were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, as were 50 of the 1710 metabolically unhealthy women taking part in the study.

Ultimately, the investigators found that normal-weight women who were in poor metabolic health were had greater risk of colorectal cancer in comparison to those who were metabolically healthy. After adjusting for factors that impact colorectal cancer risk, the authors determined that metabolically unhealthy women had a 49% greater risk of colorectal cancer.

"Primary care practitioners should do whatever they would normally do to help female patients maintain metabolic health," said senior study author Juhua Luo, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at Indiana University, "including helping women to know what their metabolic health is, and helping them maintain metabolic health through diet, exercise, or other means." 

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Liang X, Margolis K, et al. Metabolic Phenotype and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Normal-Weight Postmenopausal Women. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2017.