Background: Obesity is one of the well-known risk factors of colon polyp, a premalignant lesion. It has not been clear which one of the various indices of obesity is related to colon polyp. The present study investigates the different patterns of each obesity index according to either the presence or the absence of colon polyp in terms of different age groups.
Methods: A total of 147 Individuals who underwent specific health exams in a local university hospital from July 2010 to June 2012 were included. Obesity indices were represented as BMI, waist circumference (WC), body fat ratio, visceral fat amount, subcutaneous fat area, and visceral
to subcutaneous ratio. Subjects were categorized into two groups : those with adenomatous or hyperplastic polyp and those with no polyp.
Results: Seventy five men and 72 women were included in this study and no significant difference in age was noted between genders. Men had a higher prevalence of colon polyp than women (P < 0.001). For each obesity index difference between the two groups according to age groups (aged 30 to 49; 50 to 59; 60 and over), men showed no significant index differences between the two groups while women with polyps in the 50~59 age group showed a tendency to have higher level of BMI (P = 0.059) and significantly elevated WC (P = 0.033).
Conclusions: Most obesity indices did not appear to differ according to the presence or absence of colon polyps in different age groups. However, women in their 50s with colon polyps showed a higher level of BMI, and particularly a greater WC than those without polyps.

Keywords: Colon polyp, Obesity index, age

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