We read it all the time in the news: what you weigh affects your health. The more you weigh, the worse your health. The more ideal your weight lies, the better your health. Reams of risks and disease follow the headlines with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases often topping the list, and now cancer might just jump the queue a bit to join the top three.
According to the Lancet medical journal which reported on a study (the largest to date) carried out by scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, overweight and obese people could be at higher risk of developing cancer.
Apparently 13 kg, or 30 lbs, extra weight is all it takes to put yourself at higher risk of developing six particular kinds of cancers. These are, in order of increased risk, cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, kidney, cervix, thyroid and leukaemia. The higher a person's BMI (body mass index), the greater the risk of developing other kinds of cancer too. These include cancer of the liver, colon, ovaries and (post-menopausal) breast cancer.
Although it is not fully clear how weight can affect cancer risk, it is becoming clear that being overweight puts you at greater risk. How do you know if you are overweight? There are two standard ways of determining it. One is your BMI (body mass index). This compares your height to your weight and gives an indication of whether you are underweight, a healthy weight or overweight. It does not, however, take muscle-fat ratio into account. There are a number of online calculators which can be used. You just need to know your weight and your height. The other is waist circumference. Most guidelines state that a waist bigger than 102 cm / 40 inches for men or 88 cm / 35 inches for women puts you at higher risk of disease.
The number of people classified as obese is rising alarmingly fast. Nations including the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Iceland, Greece, Spain, Russia, Germany, Finland and Turkey all count 15% or more of their populations as obese, some rising to over 30%.
The good news is that it is possible to reduce or even reverse some of these risks. The key lies in consistent and long term weight reduction and maintenance, increased physical activity and a well balanced and varied diet.
What is also becoming clear is that some governments might need to invest in helping their citizens become healthier, fitter and slimmer. This will reduce the strain of health care costs long term and will also have a great impact across the board, and across the world for generations to come.
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Article Source: Weight and Cancer
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