Is obesity a risk factor for advanced colon polyps in males?

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of development of colonic adenomatous polyps and colorectal cancer. However, the influence of obesity on the development of advanced colon polyps is not clear. We examined the relationship between advanced colon polyps and obesity in health check-up subjects in Korea.

A total of 232 adenomatous polyp patients diagnosed with colonoscopy during cancer screening between January 2005 and June 2008 were included in this study. An advanced polyp was defined as an adenomatous polyp with one or more of the following features: (1) a diameter of 1cm or larger, (2) a villous histology, and (3) high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma. Total fat area, visceral fat area, and subcutaneous fat area were measured using abdominal computed tomography to evaluate abdominal obesity.

Of the 232 patients, 175 (75.43%) were male and 57 (24.57%) were female. Among the 232 patients, 77 patients (33.2%) had advanced polyps. Furthermore, males with advanced polyp had a significantly higher BMI, total abdominal fat area, and visceral fat area than females. Advanced polyps were positively associated with polyp number, BMI, total fat area, subcutaneous fat area, and visceral fat area in males with multivariate analysis.

Our data suggest that abdominal obesity is associated with the presence of advanced colon polyps in male.