Obese Women Face Greater
Multiple Myeloma Risk

Results of studies looking into a potential link between excess weight and multiple myeloma have been inconsistent, Cindy K. Blair of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center in Minneapolis and her colleagues note in the medical journal Epidemiology.

Past studies have used different measurements to gauge obesity, Blair noted in an interview with Reuters Health. To clarify the relation between multiple myeloma and obesity, she and her colleagues used several characteristics to investigate the association, including body mass index (BMI) -- a measure of weight in relation to height -- as well as weight alone, waist-to-hip ratio, and individual waist and hip measurements.

In a group of 37,083 post-menopausal women followed for 16 years, Blair and her team found that several of these characteristics conferred greater risk.

Those with a BMI of 30 or greater (i.e., in the obese range) were 1.5 times more likely to develop multiple myeloma, while those with the greatest weight, waist circumference or hip circumference had roughly doubled the risk. However, there was no relationship between waist-to-hip ratio and multiple myeloma risk.

While much work has been done on the association between obesity and other cancers, Blair notes, the idea that excess weight may be linked to bone-marrow cancers is newer.

SOURCE: Epidemiology, September 2005

Reference Source 89
September 27, 2005

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