MONDAY, Feb. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Obese men have a more than six-fold higher likelihood of having multiple colon polyps and tubular adenomas than lean men, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in PLOS ONE.
Sarah S. Comstock, Ph.D., from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and colleagues assessed the correlation between obesity and adipokines with colon polyp risk in 126 asymptomatic men (aged 48 to 65 years old; 41 percent obese) who were undergoing routine colonoscopies.
The researchers found that, compared with lean men, obese men had significantly increased odds of having three or more polyps, after adjustment for age and smoking status (odds ratio, 6.5). The odds of having a tubular adenoma compared with no polyp increased significantly with increasing body mass index category (odds ratio, 2.9), with an odds ratio of 7.8 for obese individuals relative to lean individuals. The presence of tubular adenomas was significantly associated with serum leptin, interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Significant associations were seen for serum leptin and IP-10 with increased likelihood of having three or more polyps, while TNF-α showed a positive trend (P = 0.09).
"Obese men are more likely to have at least three polyps and adenomas," Comstock and colleagues conclude. "This cross-sectional study provides evidence that colonoscopy should be recommended for obese, white males."
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