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Health/Medical Title: 40 percent of US cancers linked to excess weight In a nation where 71 percent of adults are either overweight or obese, the findings by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "are a cause for concern," said the agency's director Brenda Fitzgerald. "A majority of American adults weigh more than recommended -– and being overweight or obese puts people at higher risk for a number of cancers," she said in a statement. "By getting to and keeping a healthy weight, we all can play a role in cancer prevention." Carrying excess weight has been shown to boost the risk of 13 types of tumors, including cancers of the esophagus, thyroid, postmenopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus, colon and rectum. The rates of these overweight- and obesity-related cancers are rising, in contrast to the overall rate of new cancer cases which has dropped since the 1990s. Colorectal cancer was the only weight-associated cancer that decreased from 2005-2014 -- falling 23 percent, due in large part to screening, said the report. All other cancers linked to weight rose seven percent in that decade. About two-thirds of the 630,000 weight-associated cancers diagnosed in 2014 occurred in people aged 50 to 74. Women were particularly susceptible, with 55 percent of all cancers diagnosed in women associated with weight, compared to 24 percent of those diagnosed in men. According to the latest CDC data, 32.8 percent of people in the United States are overweight, and 37.9 percent are obese. Being overweight is defined as having a body mass index of 25-29.9 kg/m2, while obesity means a BMI of 30 or above. BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person's height in meters. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest BMI is calculated by taking a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person's height in meters. I'm not fat. I'm short. If I were 8'6" I'd be the picture of health.
#2. To: misterwhite (#1) Well, you can find out by visiting BMIcalc.org. I'm a 20.3, meaning I am bordering on emaciated. A 19 is emaciated. A 30 is obese. So I am pretty slim. Of course, being too slim does actually have some different health risks.
#3. To: Tooconservative (#0) Carrying excess weight has been shown to boost the risk of 13 types of tumors ... "Boost the risk" of tumors is not the same as "getting" tumors. Two ways to look at these statistics -- one, what percentage of obese people get these tumors (versus non-obese) and, two, starting with those with tumors, what percentage are obese (versus non-obese). I think this article is looking at #2, which inflates the percentage. There are 250 million adults in the U.S. and 71% are overweight/obese -- that's 178 million.
#4. To: Tooconservative (#2) Well, you can find out by visiting BMIcalc.org. I did. Too many stones.
#5. To: misterwhite (#4) I don't think you should let these measures affect you too much. People who are somewhat overweight do still outlive on average the slim people who fit the ideal weights recommended by their doctors. Some extra weight isn't as fatal as is sometimes indicated and may have no real effect on general health and longevity. If you are too heavy to be healthy, you do most often already know it without your doctor telling you or doing some BMI calculation. Personally, I don't like scolding people or trying to scare them over these things; it doesn't seem helpful or effective.
#6. To: Tooconservative (#5) I don't think you should let these measures affect you too much. I'm going to print that and show it to my cardiologist. Maybe together we can convince him to change his mind. "Personally, I don't like scolding people or trying to scare them over these things Same here. Not my style, even when I was fit and trim. But I nevertheless always thought that weight was something for which the individual was 100% responsible. Still do. The only time I'm tempted to say something is at the airport when I have to pay a $200 surcharge because my suitcase is 2 pounds over the limit while standing in line with a 400 pound passenger who pays the same seat price as I do.
#7. To: misterwhite (#6) (Edited) But I nevertheless always thought that weight was something for which the individual was 100% responsible. Still do. Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person. Of course, bad eating habits and engaging in wacky diets are problematic too. You can teach your metabolism bad tricks with fad diets IMO. Look at the women who drop 100-150 lbs. in less than a year and a few years later they've gained it all back and more. OTOH, I'm lifelong slim so I don't know that I have any valuable opinions or advice that anyone should heed much.
The only time I'm tempted to say something is at the airport when I have to pay a $200 surcharge because my suitcase is 2 pounds over the limit while standing in line with a 400 pound passenger who pays the same seat price as I do. Just charge passengers by the pound. Can you even imagine the uproar? LOL
#8. To: Tooconservative (#7) Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person. Well, of course there's that .00000000001%. But even then I'd bet the farm that if you followed one of those people through the grocery store you'd find them loading their cart with garbage food. And I've never seen a fat person in the store reading those federally required nutrition labels either. Don't get me wrong. I don't care what they eat (unless it's purchased with food stamps). I'm simply expressing an opinion.
#9. To: Tooconservative (#7) Look at the women who drop 100-150 lbs. in less than a year and a few years later they've gained it all back and more. And men. Everyone I know who lost weight gained it all back and then some. To go through all that diet and exercise just to get it all back? Very discouraging. And this is from someone who quit drinking 40 years ago and quit smoking 20 years ago. But lose 20 pounds? Impossible.
#10. To: Tooconservative (#7) Just charge passengers by the pound. I've been promoting that on forums for the last 10 years. Flights would be priced on a per pound basis -- Chicago to New York, $1.43. Chicago to London, $2.06. Etc. Specify the weight and reserve your seat with a credit card. Any weight adjustments are made during check-in. You step on a scale with all of your luggage and the agent debits or credits your card. The same for the return trip. They do this with cargo. People are human cargo. Seems fair.
#11. To: misterwhite (#8) Ancestry and medical conditions can affect weight a lot through no fault of the person. I'm not so sure sure about that. My daughter went from 7 lbs to 19 lbs at 5 months. I thought she would end up being obese. That all happened on mommy's milk. Now, at age 11, she is as thin as a rail. I have a sister is extremely fat, and she always has been no matter what she does. I was very thin when young, then gained weight, lost again and so on (I never really dieted). Genetics obviuosly has a play in this.
#12. To: no gnu taxes (#11) Genetics obviuosly has a play in this. Genetics. Thyroid. Metabolism. Whatever. But you can't gain weight by breathing and drinking water. You get fat by eating excessive calories. That you can control. And fuck genetics. That simply means you're pre- disposed to some compulsive behavior. That doesn't mean you have to act on those compulsions.
#13. To: misterwhite (#10) I've been promoting that on forums for the last 10 years. Why am I not surprised? LOL At least you are fairly consistent.
#14. To: misterwhite, no gnu taxes (#12) Genetics. Thyroid. Metabolism. Whatever. But you can't gain weight by breathing and drinking water. You get fat by eating excessive calories. That you can control. You might start crying if you saw what I eat. I can gobble 3,500-5,000 calories per day and never really gain weight. I've done this before, trying to gain weight because I was tired of looking too thin. It didn't work, BTW. I can also consume in the range of 1,000-1,200 calories per day and never really lose weight. My body/metabolism just adjusts, rather perversely. I can eat exactly the same stuff other people do, whether they're dieting or obese, and not gain or lose the same weight they do even given comparable exercise patterns. A calorie is not just a calorie to all persons at all times. It just is not true. Let's not fall for this simplisitc a-calorie-is-a-calorie business. It's what your body does with that calorie that counts.
#15. To: misterwhite (#12) And fuck genetics. That simply means you're pre- disposed to some compulsive behavior. To a large part, I agree with you. It's not that simple, white. So when a kid gets brain cancer, is it a result of compulsive behavior? All I am saying is that,yes people can control what they do, but genetics does play a large role.
#16. To: Tooconservative (#14) I can gobble 3,500-5,000 calories per day and never really gain weight. I used to do that. Drank a lot of beer, scarfed down junk food, loved chocolate -- didn't gain a single pound. Then I quit smoking. Blam! "A calorie is not just a calorie to all persons at all times. It just is not true. Let's not fall for this simplisitc a-calorie-is-a-calorie business. It's what your body does with that calorie that counts." Oh, I agree. Which is why I referred to excessive calories.
#17. To: Tooconservative (#14) I remember a supervisor a number of years ago who descrbied an employee who was underweight who could eat an enormous amount of food. He was always hungry. He soon died of a heart attack.
#18. To: no gnu taxes (#17) (Edited) I remember a supervisor a number of years ago who descrbied an employee who was underweight who could eat an enormous amount of food. He was always hungry. He soon died of a heart attack.I eat less now but 10-20 years ago, your jaw would have dropped to see me put away plate after plate of food at the holidays or at a buffet or all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. People would kind of stare at me. I eat a lot less now. I think my stomach has shrunk and I just feel full sooner and stop eating like a glutton. Skinny doesn't mean healthy. And overweight doesn't automatically mean unhealthy. We fall for a lot of bad stats and overgeneralizations in popular media and fad diet books.
#19. To: no gnu taxes (#15) It's not that simple, white. So when a kid gets brain cancer, is it a result of compulsive behavior? Well, I thought we were discussing controllable behaviors, not uncontrollable diseases. But if you want to discuss genetic diseases, we can. In my opinion, people who have a genetic history of brain cancer should consider adoption rather than having their own children. It's the responsible and humane thing to do.
#20. To: Tooconservative (#18) Skinny doesn't mean healthy. And overweight doesn't automatically mean unhealthy. Copy, paste, show to cardiologist.
#21. To: misterwhite (#20) Copy, paste, show to cardiologist. Just tell him you met an Anonymous Internet Expert. He'll stop scolding you. And ask you if you have a Living Will and personal directives.
#22. To: misterwhite (#19) Well, I thought we we were discussing both genetics and behaviors. As I said before. to a large part i agree with you.
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