Association of body mass index in early and middle adulthood with risk of gastrointestinal cancer

In a population with significantly increasing rates of individuals with overweight or obesity, understanding the association of body mass index (BMI) with long-term disease risk, such as cancer, is necessary to improve public health. A retrospective cohort study using data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, found that overweight and obese BMI in early and middle adulthood was associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer. Maintaining or increasing overweight or obese BMI over time was also associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer.