The combination of metabolic syndrome and inflammation increased the risk of colorectal cancer

Background Inflammation and metabolic syndrome (MetS) may act synergistically and possibly accelerate the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). We prospectively examined the joint effect of MetS and inflammation on the risk of CRC. Methods We studied 92,770 individuals from the Kailuan study. MetS was defined based on the presence of three or more of the following components. (1) high glucose: FPG> 5.6 mmol/L; (2) high blood pressure: SBP >= 130 mmHg or DBP >= 85 mmHg; (3) high triglycerides: triglycerides > 1.69 mmol/L; (4) low HDL-C: HDL-C <1.04 mmol/L in men or 1.29 mmol/L in women; and (5) visceral adiposity: waist circumference >= 85 cm in men or 80 cm in women. Inflammation was defined as hs-CRP >= 3 mg/L. We divided participants into four groups for the primary exposure according to the presence/absence of inflammation and presence/absence of MetS. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association of MetS and/or inflammation with the risk of CRC. Results Compared with metabolically healthy noninflammatory individuals, inflammatory participants without MetS and inflammatory participants with MetS were associated with a 1.3-fold and 4.18-fold increased risk of CRC with corresponding HRs (95% CI) of 1.34 (1.09, 1.64) and 4.18 (3.11, 5.62), respectively. The combination of MetS and inflammation was associated with the highest risk of CRC in all subgroups, especially among participants who were female, in younger age, and obese. Sensitivity analyses further validated our primary findings. Conclusions We found the combination of MetS and inflammation could significantly increase the risk of CRC. Including CRP in the diagnosis of MetS may help to identify additional high-risk participants who should be targeted for early diagnosis and prevention of CRC.