Potential Link Between Colorectal Cancer Risk, Obesity And Alcohol Consumption

Overconsuming from both ends of the GI tract?

A case-control study from Newfoundland/Labrador has reported that greater alcohol intake may increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) among obese subjects, but not among non-obese subjects. This is not a particularly large study, and only 45-60% of subjects who were recruited by telephone ended up providing data. Further, it is a case-control comparison, rather than a cohort analysis, making bias in the results more likely.

In this study, there was no relation of alcohol with the risk of CRC when considering the entire population. However, when subjects were stratified by BMI (<30 versus = 30), the data indicate an increase in CRC risk for obese subjects who were "drinkers" (OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.0), especially among subjects reporting 5 or more drinks/daily (OR=3.7, CI 1.5-9.0).

Eat, drink (or take it rectally) and be cancerous.