Editorial: Body mass index and colorectal adenomas

The recent American College of Gastroenterology Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer Screening highlight obese individuals as a high-risk group for colorectal cancer (CRC). In this issue, Okabayashi and colleagues present data from a well-designed and executed meta-analysis demonstrating an increased adenoma risk for a modest increase in body mass index (BMI). Specifically, overweight (BMI≥25) subjects have an increased risk for colorectal adenomas (odds ratio=1.24 (95% confidence interval=1.16-1.33)) as compared with non-overweight subjects. The paper's many strengths include the careful selection of the best studies. These data highlight the importance of screening in obese patients.