Association between body mass index and colorectal adenomas: Findings from a case-control study in Vietnam

Colorectal cancer is a leading cancer worldwide and in Vietnam. Adenomas (adenomatous polyps) is an important precursor of colorectal cancer. There is currently no study to determine the modifiable risk factors for colorectal adenomas, including body mass index (BMI) in Vietnam. We conducted an individually matched case-control study of 1149 colorectal adenomas and 1145 controls in a large-scale colorectal screening program involving 103 542 individuals aged 40-75 years old in Hanoi, Vietnam. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas prevalence, after controlling for potential confounders. Overall, comparing to normal weight (ie, 18.5-22.9 kg/m² ), underweight (ie, BMI < 18.5) was associated with a non-statistically significant increased prevalence of colorectal adenomas (odd ratio [OR] = 1.29 and 95% confident interval [CI]: 0.88-1.87). This association became significant among male (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.20-3.27), male who were ever smokers (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.33-5.03), nonregular exercise (OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.26-4.73) and individuals with cardiometabolic disorders (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.19-10.00). The association between underweight and colorectal adenomas did not vary by smoking status, drinking status, family history of cancer, adenomas types or cardiometabolic disorders. No association was observed among obese individuals (BMI ≥ 25). In the population with low prevalence of obesity, we found that the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas followed a reversed J-shape that underweight was associated with increased prevalence. Further studies are, therefore, warranted to replicate our results and to investigate the biologic mechanism the effect of underweight on colorectal adenomas prevalence.