Philadelphia: Scientists have revealed that obesity doubles up a woman’s possibility of having colon cancer or growths that can cause colon cancer.

An analysis of over 1,200 women has suggested that the obesity is the No. 1 risk factor for the disease.

Researcher Joseph C. Anderson, MD, associate professor of medicine at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y said that women who are chain smokers or above 69 are also at increased risk for developing potentially precancerous polyps or colon cancer.

Both the elements double up the risk of having the growths or cancer.

“What I really want my patients to know is that obesity is a risk factor. It’s a risk that is increasing with more and more Americans being obese. And it’s a risk that is modifiable,” he said.

For the study report, which is presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), Anderson and his co-workers has analysed information from 1,252 women.

Approximately 10 percent had cancer, multiple polypi, or large or particularly abnormal growths, which would likely develop into cancer if not detached.

Mr. Anderson told that obesity accounted for 20% of the significant growths. Being over age 69 accounted for 16% more of the growths. Heavy smoking defined as smoking more than 10 pack-years, being a current smoker, or having quit in the past 10 years accounted for 15% of the significant growths.

Women who had smoked less than 10 pack-years or who had quit more than 10 years ago were not at increased risk of developing the disease.

ACG President David A. Johnson, MD, a gastroenterologist at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk said that the study results emphasize the need for fatty women to get tested for colorectal cancer.

“If a woman is reticent about being screened, she needs to consider that her risk is a lot higher than that of women of normal weight,” Mr. Johnson said.

Anderson added that if future studies confirm the findings, obese women might want to be screened more frequently or starting at an earlier age than is currently recommended.

Recent guidelines, formulated by the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and the American Cancer Society has suggested that the majority of people should be screened every 10 years starting at age 50.