May 26, 2015 02:08 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that overweight teens have a significantly higher risk of developing bowel cancer, NDTV News reported.

Swedish researchers found that being very overweight in the teen years can double the risk of colon cancer by the time they are in their 50s. They also found that a

Adult obesity and inflammation have been associated with an increased risk of bowel cancer, which is the third most common form of cancer among men, worldwide. However, less is known about how obesity and systemic inflammation might be influential during late adolescence.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 240,000 Swedish men, who had been conscripted into the military between the ages of 16 and 20 in 1969 to 76, BBC News reported.

They found that compared with those whose weight was within the normal range when they enlisted (BMI 18.5-25 kg/m2), those who were very overweight, with a BMI ranging between 27.5 and nudging 30, were twice as likely to develop bowel cancer.

Obesity in young adulthood, classified as a BMI of more than 30, was associated with a 2.38 higher risk of developing bowel cancer.

During the monitoring period, which spanned an average of 35 years, 885 of the men developed bowel cancer, 384 of which were rectal cancers.

Researchers said further studies are needed to better understand the role of life course inflammation and BMI in the development of bowel cancer, conclude the researchers, who add that this may help inform preventive strategies.

The findings are detailed in the journal Gut. 

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