14 DAY TRIAL // Just like parents can’t tell when their children are too heavy for their age, there still are thousands, if not millions, of people out there who are not aware of the connection between excess fat and cancer. As a new study points out, the number of cancer cases from obesity has almost doubled over the past years, which means this is just the time to start paying attention to the aforementioned connection.
In the UK alone, the World Cancer Research Fund has established that 19,000 Britons are diagnosed yearly with cancer caused by obesity. The figure is not only shocking, it’s also double the one estimated a couple of years ago, which means the obesity and overweight problem is spreading faster than health experts initially predicted. It also indicates that many people are still not aware of the connection between their weight and their health issues, researchers tell the British media.
“The stark fact is that every year in this country, many thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer that could have been prevented if they had maintained a healthy weight. This is a real cause for concern and the problem is only going to get worse if the number of people who are overweight continues to rise.” Professor Martin Wiseman, WCRF medical and scientific adviser, says for the Daily Mail. People do not know, Wiseman says, that, after smoking, obesity is the second biggest threat of our times, which is why they should be educated on the matter.
“After not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do. But a recent survey showed almost 40 per cent of people still do not know excess fat is a cause of cancer. We need to do more to spread the message.” Professor Wiseman states for the same publication. At the same time, he says, people should be made aware, by one means or another, that body fat encourages the production of growth factors and hormones, which, in turn, leads to an increase in the risk of developing cancer.
The situation is similarly bleak in the US as well, with health experts pointing out here too that something should be done about the “obesity problem” before it’s too late. A recent study in this sense has shown that obesity is as damaging for the health as lifelong smoking is, with both taking an average of 10 years off one’s life.