Interaction of Colorectal Neoplasm Risk Factors and Association with Metabolic Health Status Focusing on Normal Waist-to-Hip Ratio in Adults

Abstract

Background: We aimed to evaluate the interaction between colorectal adenoma risks among asymptomatic individuals in terms of metabolic health status and obesity, and examine the normal waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in adults with colorectal adenoma risk. Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted at MacKay Memorial Hospital involving 16,996 participants who underwent bidirectional gastrointestinal endoscopy between 2013 and 2023. The study recorded important clinicopathological characteristics, including age, body mass index and WHR, Framingham Risk Score (FRS), blood glucose level, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection status. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that elevated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), increased FRS, positive H. pylori infection, and WHR ≥ 0.9 are independent risk factors for colorectal adenoma. In examining the interaction between FRS and WHR using multivariate logistic regression to evaluate adenoma risk, the OR for the interaction term was 0.95, indicating a decline in adenoma risk when considering the interaction between these two factors. Incorporating HbA1c into the analysis, evaluating the interaction between FRS and WHR still demonstrated a statistically significant impact on adenoma risk (OR 0.96, p < 0.001). Participants with WHR < 0.9, elevated FRS, positive H. pylori infection, and increased HbA1c levels were associated with a higher risk of colorectal adenoma formation. Remarkably, the increased risk of adenoma due to rising HbA1c levels was statistically significant only for those with a WHR < 0.9. Conclusions: An increase in FRS and HbA1c or a positive H. pylori infection still warrants vigilance for colorectal adenoma risk when WHR is 0.9. These factors interacted with each other and were found to have a minimal decline in adenoma risk when considering the interaction between WHR and FRS.