Obesity is a growing epidemic in the US. Studies show 69% of adults in the US are overweight while half of them are obese. Across the globe, roughly 2.2 billion adults are obese or overweight. A large number of these individuals suffer from traces of metabolic syndrome, increased blood pressure and irregular levels of cholesterol and blood sugar. Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines and insulin and other factors are also present in obese people.
Along with other possible mediators, obesity elevates as well as worsens the outcome of various chronic illnesses. This includes different types of cancer. Obesity has overtaken smoking as the foremost preventable cause of death from cancer in the US.
A healthy and normal weight can help reduce your cancer risk, especially cancers of the breast, colon, kidney and prostate. Although physical activity helps prevent cancer, a balanced weight can reduce the risk significantly. Physical activity counts, too. In addition to helping you control your weight, physical activity on its own helps lower the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer.
Adults who partake in at least some physical activity achieve notable health benefits. However, to reduce your cancer risk, it is important to work out for at least 150 minutes a week. You can opt for aerobic exercises or any workout you are comfortable with. At the same time, it is important that you eat healthy so your body gets the nutrients it needs to fight off cancer cells.
Obese women have increased risk of breast cancer as compared to women with a balanced weight, particularly after menopause. An interesting finding is that being overweight during childhood shields against breast cancer in later years as long as weight gain does not continue into adulthood. Thousands of obese women are likely to acquire hormone receptor positive disease and this subtype seems to be especially vulnerable to the adverse influences of obesity on prognosis.
When you are obese, there are many aspects of physiology, including growth signals, hormones and inflammation, which affect your body. For instance, not everyone who is obese will have chronic inflammation or abnormal metabolism. These matters are even more complicated, as insulin, estrogen and inflammation do not cause cancer on their own. However, for an obese individual, all these combine to make a deadly combination.
Not only does obesity increase the risk of cancer but also worsens a cancer patient’s prognosis. Studies have revealed various cancers develop at a rapid rate in obese patients. Furthermore, obesity also increases the risk of metastasis. So, as you can see, losing weight is the most effective way to reduce your cancer risk.