"A balanced diet again, physical activity - yes, we all know," many of you will say. Indeed, we often publish articles on healthy living. However, do not be in a hurry to claim that you have understood everything for a long time. Maybe right now you will read something you didn't know before.
It is about obesity. And this is not only an aesthetic problem - it is an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. Moreover, when telling you about the risk of developing a malignant tumor due to significant excess weight, we will refer to the results of serious international studies.
Today, overweight and oncological diseases literally go "side by side". While tobacco use has declined over the decades, helping to reduce lung cancer deaths, obesity rates have skyrocketed—so much so that being overweight has become a major risk factor for a growing number of malignancies.
Approximately 84 thousand of cancer diagnoses each year are linked to obesity (J Clin Oncol 2014; doi: 10.1200/JCO.2014.58.4680), and researchers now link it to twelve types of cancer. Excess weight increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 20-40%; colorectal cancer - by 30%; gallbladder cancer - by 20-60%. Obese people are almost twice as likely to get cancer of the esophagus, stomach, liver and kidneys. In addition, patients who are significantly overweight may have other comorbidities, such as diabetes, joint pain, and heart disease, making cancer treatment more difficult.
ASCO's July 2017 National Cancer Opinion Survey found that 78% of respondents correctly identified tobacco use and sun exposure as risk factors, but only 31% identified obesity as a risk factor for cancer (Oncology Times 2017) ; doi: 10.1097/ COT.0000528025.42664.a2).
So we want to inform you about the risk of obesity, which can seriously affect both the length and quality of life. For example, studies show that 5 years after a breast cancer diagnosis, patients who are able to maintain a healthy weight are less likely to have recurrences.
Can this problem be solved? Let's start with what we already know, if you can control your weight, you have a better chance of avoiding a number of common cancers.
Take note and be healthy.