Belly Fat, Not BMI, Predicts Cancer Risk in Elderly Koreans, Large Study Shows

Healthcare | 2025-10-30 15:41:07
[medi K / HEALTH IN NEWS] A large, long-term study of South Korean adults aged 65 and older has found that abdominal obesity is a stronger predictor of cancer risk than body mass index, challenging conventional wisdom about weight and health in the elderly.

The research, led by Jang Su-yeon, an endocrinologist at Korea University Guro Hospital, tracked 247,000 older Koreans for 11 years. It revealed a striking paradox: higher BMI was associated with lower cancer risk, while larger waist circumference consistently raised it. The pattern was especially pronounced in men.

Even among those with normal BMI, a larger waistline significantly increased cancer odds, the investigators reported.

“People can appear to have a healthy weight yet harbor dangerous abdominal fat,” Dr. Jang said. “In older adults, muscle mass declines and fat tends to accumulate in the abdomen, so relying solely on body weight can miss critical warning signs.”

For Older Adults, Managing Waist Circumference Is More Important Than Weight for Cancer Prevention
For Older Adults, Managing Waist Circumference Is More Important Than Weight for Cancer Prevention

The findings, published in the latest issue of Frontiers in Oncology, mark the first time researchers have documented opposing effects of BMI and waist circumference on cancer incidence specifically in older adults. Prior studies focused largely on middle-aged populations.

Dr. Jang called for future research that incorporates muscle mass and body fat distribution. “Maintaining appropriate weight remains important,” she said, “but managing abdominal fat is key to cancer prevention in the elderly.”

The study underscores the limitations of BMI—a simple ratio of weight to height squared—as a health metric in older populations, where sarcopenia and central adiposity often coexist with normal or low body weight.

Lim Hye Jung / press@themedik.kr
Copyright © 2020 mediK. All rights reserved.

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