LOS ANGELES — High body mass index is associated with a lower risk of lung cancer among smokers, Jian-Min Yuan, Ph.D., reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The study involved a prospective, population-based cohort of 63,257 middle-aged and older Chinese men and women who were enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study between 1993 and 1998.
Smokers with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 28 kg/m
The inverse association between BMI and lung cancer risk was strongest in current smokers, much weaker in lifelong nonsmokers, and absent in former smokers. The association was stronger in men than in women. The investigators hypothesized that smoking may increase the metabolic rate that leads to high cellular production of reactive oxygen species in lean smokers.