Health & Fitness
Obesity Will Soon Overtake Smoking as the Principal Cause of Cancer
Worldwide, obesity is responsible for about 5% of all deaths each year. In the US, nearly 20% of deaths are now associated with obesity.
Obesity is a global epidemic. Close to 30% of the global population is overweight or obese. That totals about 2.1 billion people and that number is growing.
In the US, eight obesity-related diseases account for 75% of all healthcare costs! Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, dementia and cancer are among them, but there are many others as well.
Two hallmarks of obesity that contribute to these diseases are insulin/leptin resistance and chronic inflammation.
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Obesity Will Soon Overtake Smoking as Lead Cause of Cancer:
For decades, smoking was one of the leading causes of cancer, but that’s about to change.
Obesity will likely claim the lead spot as the principal cause of 10 different types of cancer within the next decade, according to cancer specialists who discussed the trend at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago.
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The links between obesity and cancer are quite clear and excess weight can increase your risk of cancer rather significantly. For example, obese women increase their risk of womb cancer by 600%.
Your risk for breast, prostate, colon and all the other gynecological cancers is also elevated, primarily due to the hormone imbalances associated with obesity, which tend to fuel tumor growth.
You don’t need statistics and data to know that there are a few common sense strategies that pay off tremendously in health benefits.
Here are 6 of them:
1. Stay active and get a reasonable amount of exercise.
2. Try to eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables and home prepared food as possible.
3. Avoid junk food, processed food, fast food, GMOs, sugar and artificial sweeteners.
4. Avoid eating three hours before you go to bed at night.
5. Don’t eat if you are not hungry.
6. Get 8 hours of sleep per night.
If you do these six things, you will in all probability not become overweight and you will probably lose weight if you are overweight.
You should consult your physician prior to starting any new diet or exercise program, especially if you are overweight or obese.