“This could inform specific prevention strategies.”
The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, looked at 125,915 people from 45 studies on bowel cancer.
This type of cancer, which is strongly linked to obesity, affects more than 42,000 people every year, and causes more than 16,000 deaths.
The research is one of the largest genetic studies to look at men and women’s weight and bowel cancer risk.
Bowel cancer: A woman s weight distribution may affect her risk (Image: Getty Images)
Natasha Paton, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, added: “It’s well established that keeping a healthy weight affects many types of cancer.
Women who are apple-shaped may have a greater risk of getting bowel cancer than men with beer bellies, according to a study of more than 100,000 individuals.
They more typically gain weight on their hips and thighs, so that if they have larger waistlines, this may indicate they are carrying more fat overall.
This raises the risk of cancer by secreting chemicals which cause inflammation, which it is believed, increases the chance of tumours developing.
A study led by the University of Bristol and the International Agency for Research on Cancer looked at thousands of bowel cancer patients and at those clear of the disease.
This Morning s Dr Zoe Williams reveals she suffered a bowel cancer scare this year after putting off visiting the GP over unpleasant changes
During Tuesday s This Morning, the healthcare professional, 40, revealed she had unpleasant tests after she noticed changes in her bowel habits
The TV personality, who has confirmed she s now fine , shared how the condition claimed the lives of some of her relatives
Former Gladiators star Zoe also expressed the importance of raising awareness as she discussed her experience of stripping off on The Real Full Monty
The seasonal special sees the stars strip and take to the rink to perform a routine to raise awareness about cancers which affect intimate areas of the body
Beth Purvis has prepared for this Christmas with the kind of military planning that many mothers employ.
Perfect presents for her two children have been sourced. Festive traditions in her family’s case, a table called the Christmas Fair, piled high with everyone’s favourite sweets and chocolates, laid out at the start of December but strictly not to be touched until Christmas Day have been faithfully observed, to the delight of her husband Richard, 49, son Joseph, 12, and daughter Abi, ten.
But this year, Beth has been more organised than ever. She has even created a master spreadsheet of every element of her preparations, right down to the treats used for The Christmas Fair (Toblerone and Turkish delight, among others), as a kind of reference guide to the perfect Purvis family Christmas.