Obesity and Diabetes Linked to Increased Pancreatic Cancer Risk: UK Biobank Study
UK: A recent study based on the UK Biobank cohort suggests that general obesity and diabetes may contribute to a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The 10-year study revealed that a higher allometric fat-mass index (AFI) was associated with a 10% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, with a more pronounced effect in women under 55 (HR: 1.45).
"The allometric lean-mass index (ALI) was linked to a 7% elevated risk, showing a significant association in men (HR: 1.13). Diabetes emerged as a strong risk factor for pancreatic cancer (HR: 1.68), with the highest risk observed in women during the first six years (HR: 2.46)," the researchers reported in Cancer Medicine.
Obesity and diabetes have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, but the specific contributions of fat mass and fat-free mass to this association remain unclear. It is also uncertain whether general obesity poses a greater risk than abdominal obesity or if these factors, along with diabetes, independently influence pancreatic cancer risk.
For this purpose, Sofia Christakoudi, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK, and colleagues used Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to assess the prospective associations between body composition—measured by the allometric fat-mass index and allometric lean-mass index via bioelectrical impedance—waist size, and diabetes with pancreatic cancer risk in the UK Biobank cohort. AFI and ALI were uncorrelated with each other and height, while the allometric waist-to-hip index (WHI) was independent of weight and height. Heterogeneity was evaluated based on sex, age, and follow-up time using the augmentation method (p_het).
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