Can You Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?
By Kim Beardsmore
We hear it all the time…lose weight for your
health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical
to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.
In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical
Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen
life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared
Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between
premature death and higher BMIs.
For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5’10”
weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to
lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.Jamie McManus, M.D.,
F.A.A.F.P. and author of “Your Personal Guide to Wellness”
notes that while this study referenced extreme levels of obesity,
there are still millions of overweight people in developed countries
with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than
their healthy-weight counterparts. She also estimates that there are
600,000 obesity related deaths each year in America.
Just how does obesity shorten our lifespan? The answer
to this question is complex, yet there is a clear link between obesity
and the development of cancer. An extensive study conducted by the
American Cancer Institute involving 750,000 people showed that obesity
significantly increased the risk of cancer developing in the following
organs: breast, colon, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder.
Michael Thun, MD, vice-president of epidemiology and
surveillance research for the American Cancer Society (ACS) says one
reason obesity may raise cancer risk is because fat cells produce
a form of estrogen called estradiol that promotes rapid division of
cells, increasing chances of a random genetic error while cells are
replicating, which can lead to cancer. In addition, fat centered around
the abdomen may increase insulin and insulin-like growth factors in
the blood, which may increase cancer risk.
"Women who are obese after menopause have a 50%
higher relative risk of breast cancer," notes Thun, "and
obese men have a 40% higher relative risk of colon cancer….
Gallbladder and endometrial cancer risks are five times higher for
obese individuals”.
There is evidence that cancer rates in developed countries
are increasing at 5 to 15 times faster than developing countries.
A major contributor to this alarming reality has proven to be diet.
In populations where the diet consists mostly of fresh fruit and vegetables
and whole grains – in contrast to the typical Western diet of
fatty meats, refined flours, oils and sugars – the risk of cancer
is much lower.
The interaction of diet and the development of cancer
is an active field of research and Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and
author of “What Color is Your Diet”, says “It appears
that diet has its most significant effects after the cancer has already
formed, acting to inhibit or stimulate the growth of that cancer”.
At the risk of oversimplifying a complex set of interactions,
the typical Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to
stimulate the growth of cancer cells.It is never too late to improve
your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving
lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate
improvement to your health and vitality.
1. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI)
to determine if weight has become health risk. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of Americans are overweight,
defined as having a BMI (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of
those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index
of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese.
You can check your BMI at the website below.
2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements.
If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will
put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes
leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn
how to snack with healthful choices.
3. Color your diet with a large variety of
colorful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables. There are
seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing
between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables,
we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting
nutrients.
4. Eat lean protein with every meal. Protein
provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of
fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling
your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean
muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with
fruit; the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps,
prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer
soy based meat substitutes.
5. Rev up your metabolism with activity.
If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well-being, exercise is a key ingredient.
Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity
for the American Cancer Society (ACS), says adults should do something
for 30 minutes each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk.
Children should be active for an hour each day. We are more likely
to develop habits around things we enjoy, so seek activities which
you enjoy doing. It is also helpful to build physical activity into
your daily routine: use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift
at work, park your car in the parking bay furthest from the super
marketing and don’t use the remote control to change TV channels.
6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful
eating plan and reach your goal weight. Whilst a small percentage
of people possess the discipline to lose weight, many obese people
have developed strong thoughts and habits concerning the food they
eat. In order to establish new habits, most people respond well to
some form of consistent encouragement and coaching.
A study, “Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling
on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes” shows that
participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more
weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the support
of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.
Being overweight or obese has been identified next
to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer.
Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health
effects. So it’s never to late to start and you can never be
too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something
about achieving a more healthy weight.
(c) Copyright by Kim Beardsmore
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Did
you know that 60-70% of cancers are due to dietary factors? And, that
many of these may be prevented by changes in dietary habits? That's
right, and now there is an "answer book" for those who want
to learn more about taking control of their health.
Your Diet and Cancer is a practical tutorial designed
to give the reader valuable information about how cancers develop
and how simple changes in diet may prevent serious illness. Not to
be confused with a medical journal full of technical jargon, this
book is jam-packed with over 60 pages of down to earth information
and beautiful illustrations of the salient points.
The ideas and suggestions contained in Your Diet and
Cancer are designed to help you make informed decisions about your
health. Cancer is one of the main causes of death among humans and
your way of consuming food affects the risk. Do yourself a favor and
take control today!
