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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.
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