Reducing your Cancer Risk

If you are reading this blog, you know about Devin Sheaffer, H3’s  beloved massage therapist that passed  away last year from cancer. The type of cancer Devin died from is rare with no known behavioral risk factors. When we hear about someone dying from a type of cancer that seems to have no real cause, especially if it is someone we know and care about, it can reinforce the misconception that many people have: that cancer is something we can do  very little to prevent. And while, unfortunately, that was the case with Devin’s type of cancer, that is not the case with many forms of cancer. Specifically, the ones that affect the most people. For example, while there are over 200 different types of cancer, the two most influenced by lifestyle, lung and colorectal, are responsible for almost 40% of all  cancer deaths. Smoking accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of all lung cancer deaths.

Approximately one third of all cancer deaths each year are due to poor nutrition, physical inactivity and excess weight. In fact, surprisingly after tobacco smoking, obesity is the principle cause of cancer in the U.S.  So the fact is, there is a lot we can do to reduce our risk of cancer. The American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research are great resources for cancer information in general and specifically to learn what you can do to lower your risk.

To reduce your cancer risk they recommend that we:

• Maintain a healthy body weight throughout life


• Adopt a physically active lifestyle


• Consume a healthy diet with an emphasis on plant sources.


• Limit the consumption of red meat and avoid processed meats.


• Limit your consumption of alcohol to no more than 1 drink per day for women , 2 drinks per day for men.


• Avoid sugary drinks and other calorically dense foods.


• Limit the consumption of salty foods.


• Don’t Smoke.

Not only will these behaviors lower your risk of many types of cancer, but they will lower your risk of many other chronic diseases as well including heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

We Can Win the War on Obesity

I’m a pretty optimistic guy, but sometimes you just have to face the facts, we are losing the war on obesity in the country. Make no mistake, it is a war.

 

According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity is responsible for over 100,000 deaths per year.  While we are all generally aware of its consequences the chart below graphically demonstrates that obesity affects every part of the body.

 



 

Obesity continues to climb. There were 2.4 million more obese people in 2009 than 2007. We now have 72 million obese adults in the U.S.  Health care costs from obesity almost doubled from 80 billion to 143 billion in the past decade, with no end in sight.  Childhood obesity rate have tripled in the last 30 years, putting those kids at increased risk for many of the same diseases as adults.

 

 

The fact that we are losing the war now does not mean we can’t ultimately win - in fact we must. While there are no easy solutions to this crisis, the CDC is working hard to get the word out about obesity, its consequences, and strategies for managing it.  Many of their recommendations will be familiar to you, but it can’t hurt to review them again; maybe you’ll pick up something new or be inspired by something you read, see or hear.

 

There is a wealth of printed information as well as podcasts and videos. The site is big and somewhat overwhelming so here is an article  and a video to get started with.

 

FACEOFF - Obesity vs. Smoking

The scorecards have been tallied and it looks as though the knock-down drag-out boxing match between the hazards of smoking and obesity have been declared an even DRAW.  Researchers at Columbia University have analyzed the interviews of more than 3.5 million adults in the United States using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.  “The results showed that the quality-adjusted life years lost to obesity are equal to, or greater than, those lost because of smoking.”

 

Unfortunately, I think this is a trend that may continue.  However, we might be able to take a good lesson from the fight against tobacco.

 

I’ve included a copy of the article from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 

 

What are your thoughts?  What tactics worked well in curbing tobacco usage in the US and could they similarly work against the obesity epidemic?