Obesity Linked to Specific Cancers: Preventable

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease. The American Cancer Society projects that 1.47 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year and 562,000 will die of it.
Obesity causes more than 100,000 cases of cancer in the United States each year — and the number will likely rise as Americans get fatter, according to research experts.

American Institute for Cancer Research-AICR’s second expert report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, has confirmed the relationship between excess body fat and increased cancer risk. According to the scientific literature, there is convincing evidence that body fat increases risk for cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, edometrium, kidney and breast (in postmenopausal women).

AICR said that having too much body fat causes nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer — a type of cancer of the uterus — and a third of esophageal cancer cases.

Because of the overwhelming evidence, AICR recommends maintaining a healthy weight throughout life to best reduce your chances of developing cancer. In fact, maintaining a healthy weight may be the single most important way to protect against cancer.

Here are some of AICR’s estimates of cancer types that could be prevented annually if Americans stayed slender:

• Esophageal – 35 percent of cases or 5,800 people
• Pancreatic – 28 percent or 11,900
• Gallbladder – 21 percent or 2,000
• Colon – 9 percent or 13,200
• Breast – 17 percent or 33,000
• Endometrium – 49 percent or 20,700
• Kidney – 24 percent or 13,900

Economic Impact: Overall obesity-related health spending reaches $147 billion, double what it was nearly a decade ago, according to the journal Health Affairs (MSNBC News July’09).
The United States spent about $2.2 trillion on healthcare in 2007. This accounts for 16 percent of our gross domestic product, and that’s projected to rise to 20 percent by 2017. Much of this healthcare spending can be tied to preventable health problems.

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Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research has shown that as weight increases to reach the levels referred to as “overweight” and “obesity,”* the risks for the following conditions also increase:

• Coronary heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (e.g, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
• Stroke
• Liver and Gallbladder disease
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
• Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility)

*Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Lifelong Supplements™: Are you getting enough vitamin D?

Physicians long have known the importance of this vitamin in building strong bones. However, research is emerging that suggests vitamin D plays a much broader role in maintaining optimal health. Vitamin D may help in preventing and treating a growing number of health problems — including diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, depression, chronic pain, migraines, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and certain types of cancers.

At the same time, more people are at risk of being deficient in this essential nutrient than had previously been thought. We get most of our vitamin D from sun exposure. Additionally, many foods such as milk, orange juice and cereals are fortified with vitamin D.

Deficiencies are treatable with supplemental vitamin D, but it is recommended that you do so under the direction of a qualified physician, since too much vitamin D also can be detrimental.

Give your health a boost with safe lifelong supplements™! Helpful health and wellness tips from: lifelonghp.com, blog.lifelong supplements and health bulletin.