Body mass index implicated in lung cancer in men

Men with lower body mass index (BMI) are at risk of developing lung cancer, a study suggests.

The study included 92,098 individuals (44,158 men and 47,940 women) participating in the Japan Public Health Center–based Prospective Study. They evaluated anthropometrics, BMI, and height in relation to the incidence of lung cancer.

Researchers applied Cox proportional hazards regression with adjustment for potential confounders and stratified by cancer subtypes. Data on weight and height were self-reported at baseline and validated using measured health check-up data.

A total of 2,152 lung cancer cases were diagnosed over an average follow-up of 19.1 years. Multivariate regression model showed that lower BMI conferred an increased risk of overall lung cancer risk (<19 kg/m²: hazard ratio [HR], 1.48, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.18–1.85; 19–22.9 kg/m²: HR, 1.19, 95 percent CI, 1.05–1.35; p≤0.001) in men.

The same risk increase was observed for adenocarcinoma in the BMI <19 kg/m² category and for squamous cell carcinoma in the 19–22.9 kg/m² BMI category among men.

Among women, on the other hand, low BMI and weight decrease were associated with squamous cell carcinoma.

There were no significant associations seen between other weight categories, height, and weight change and lung cancer, adenocarcinoma, squamous, and small cell carcinoma.