Category — Health

Ive been sick since my last post so no running for me. Ive done some sad little situps and stretching and such, but really moved very little. Oh how wonderful the couch is when you feel like crap. I am feeling better so I wanted to share some interesting information about another reason I want to lose weight.

We all know that obesity raises the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other things. But now scientists have proven the extra pounds raise a person’s chance to develop 12 different types of cancer. Previously it was noted that obesity may raise the risk of colon and breast cancers, but now it scientists also consider more rare types of cancer such as gallbladder, kindey, and uterus.

 ”One of the hypotheses is that the presence of excess fat cells could affect the levels of hormones in your body,” Renehan said. “At a cellular level, that may favor the development of tumors in humans.”

Because many studies have found that fatter people are more likely to get cancer, experts often recommend losing weight to reduce cancer risk.

“The simple message is that, if you manage to keep a healthy body weight, you will have a lower risk of developing cancer,” said Ed Yong, of Cancer Research United Kingdom.

Check out these news articles for more.  Associated Press. U.S. News Health.

I read a lot of news articles and scan a ton of websites every day. I have been reading a lot about obesity and its effect throughout the world. America is leading the way, but our actions are now filtering into other countries changing the way people eat. Too bad it is not changing lives in a good way.

Here is a chunk from this Canadian column that I found interesting:

The numbers paint a disturbing picture. The United Nations says there are now more overweight people in the world than starving people. Cardiovascular disease – commonly caused by obesity – kills 17 million people every year. Type II diabetes fatalities are expected to grow by 50 per cent in the next decade.

Obesity is not new, but what’s surprising is that it now plagues the developing world, too. Obesity is on a dramatic rise in poor states, as impoverished locals are increasingly introduced to mass-produced imported food that’s often cheaper than their local fare.

“It’s a huge problem,” says Erin Blanding, a development expert and head of Life in Action, a Toronto-based health and lifestyle program. “Eating unhealthy food is what you do when you are poor.”

Processed food is becoming a staple in the diets of many developing countries, much of it coming from Western factories. Visit a local market in places like Ecuador or Malawi and you’re just as likely to see imported sugary cereals and juices as local produce. Outside, Big Macs are taking the place of traditionally prepared plantains and sweet potato biscuits.

Food high in fat and low in nutrients is cheaply made and easily shipped, which undercuts local prices. But shoppers who cannot afford anything else buy it.

Even rural farmers with access to their own healthy livestock or produce commonly trade what they can for larger quantities of processed food, just to ensure their families have enough to eat.

With this cycle, Blanding explains, “We aren’t giving people the choice to create better and healthier lives for themselves.”

Obesity once was a symbol of Western abundance and indulgence. Today, just as many people are overweight because they are filling their stomachs with whatever they can afford – and what they can afford is making them obese.