Metabolic disorders such as obesity, high blood pressure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases have been directly linked to an increased risk of developing bowel—or colorectal cancer—warn Flinders University researchers. The results of their respective study were published in the journal Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology.

Researchers reviewed data from 49 systematic reviews and meta-analysis to determine the association between metabolic health conditions, including metabolic syndrome and the risk of bowel cancer.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses used information from healthy adult volunteers and individuals with various medical conditions.

The results showed that these five fairly common pathologies increase the risk of bowel cancer: obesity, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, excess blood sugar, and high-density lipoprotein deficiency. The complex development of such diseases is known as metabolic syndrome.

Researchers have emphasized that simple blood tests, which many people undergo every year as part of medical checkups, effectively help assess the risk of metabolic syndrome and prevent it before life-threatening complications occur.