The New England Journal of MedicineAssociation of Overweight, Obesity, and Recent Weight Loss with Colorectal Cancer Risk

When body mass index (BMI) at the time of recruitment was taken into account in this case-control study, an inverse correlation between being overweight and the risk of CRC was found. However, when looking at BMI at earlier times, a clear positive association between BMI and CRC risk emerged, which was especially pronounced for BMI eight or more years ago. Recent weight loss was also strongly associated with increased CRC risk.