|
Obesity:
The Little Known Cancer Risk
For more than three
decades, the Canadian and American Cancer Societies have
nagged, cajoled and inspired people to stop smoking, conducting
such campaigns as the Great American Smokeout.
It also has gently persuaded the reluctant to get regular
cancer screening checkups, such as Pap smears, prostate
exams and mammograms, to drive down cancer rates.
Now, cancer societies hope to persuade people that their
widening girth isn't just an appearance problem or a heart-disease
risk.
Too much weight also heightens the risk of many forms of
cancer, although few people are aware of the link. Being
overweight or obese seems to be responsible for 14 percent
of all cancer deaths in men and 20 percent of cancer deaths
in women, a large-scale study published earlier this year
in the New England Journal of Medicine found.
Still, most people don't associate excess weight with cancer
risks, says Colleen Doyle, a dietitian and the director
of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer
Society.
"We found that out from a benchmark survey we did in
early 2002," she says. "Only 1 percent of people
who responded said that weight loss was a way to reduce
cancer risk. That said to us, we've got a big awareness
problems. Let's connect those dots."
Earlier this year, the cancer society teamed with Weight
Watchers International to start connecting those dots. People
were invited to stop by participating Weight Watchers centers
to get a free weigh-in and learn their BMI, or body mass
index -- a measure of height to weight that's tied to disease
risk. A BMI of 25 and above is considered overweight; 30
and above, obese. A person who is 5-foot-8 is overweight
at 165 pounds and obese at 195.
Next spring, the cancer society and Weight Watchers will
again offer weigh-ins and programs to increase awareness
during the second Great American Weigh In.
"We intend to make next year's Great American Weigh
In much bigger and better," says Chris Corcoran, a
Weight Watchers spokesperson.
It's scheduled for March 5, but Doyle says the entire week
may be devoted to education programs.
Exactly how big a risk excess weight poses was demonstrated
dramatically in the New England Journal of Medicine study.
Researchers tracked more than 900,000 U.S. adults who were
cancer-free in 1982, following them for the next 16 years.
They factored in other risk factors to determine what role
excess weight played in their cancers.
The researchers concluded there's an association between
BMI and death from many forms of cancer, and they identified
several forms of the disease not previously linked to unhealthy
body weight. These include cancer of the colon, esophagus,
gall bladder, kidney, liver, pancreas and rectum, as well
as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma. For men,
there's also an increased risk of prostate and stomach cancer;
for women, cancer of the breast, cervix, ovaries and uterus.
One reason excess weight may raise your cancer risk, researchers
say, is that fat cells produce a kind of estrogen called
estradiol, and this accelerates rapid cell division, in
turn increasing cancer risk.
Convincing people to get down to a healthy weight -- as
well as stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising
and getting regular checkups -- will produce a dramatic
reduction in cancer deaths, Doyle says.
"Close to 65 percent of all cancer deaths could be
prevented by lifestyle changes," she says. "I
think that's the really good news, that people can have
some control over cancer."
For more information on the link between excess weight
and cancer, visit the Canadian
Cancer Society. The
National Library of Medicine has plenty of information
on dieting and weight loss.
Article Source: HealthDay
Article Author: N/A
Net Reference 101
|
