Preventing Obesity to Prevent Cancer
In a series of presentations at the 11th European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria, experts decried the rates of obesity in industrialized nations that have become "epidemic." This directly results in millions of cases of cancer and other disease-related illnesses, they warned.
"After smoking, the obesity epidemic is the single most important modification to reduce cancer," said Professor Jaap Seidell, a Dutch epidemiologist, in a speech to the attendees. It is estimated that moderate weight loss through diet and exercise could single-handedly cut the number of cancer incidences by more than a third.
According to estimates from the World Health Organization, a quarter of all kidney and gallbladder cancer cases, one in 10 colon cancers, and one in 12 breast cancers in postmenopausal women can be directly attributed to obesity. And many more cases can be at least be indirectly linked to high-fat diets.
"The evidence linking being overweight and some forms of cancer is growing very strong. It is important that this is now brought home to people in a way that they can clearly understand," urged Seidell.
These figures coincide with the latest findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In its recent "National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey," the CDC found that an alarming number of American children and teens are overweight, continuing the pattern the survey has documented over the past two decades-a period in which the number of overweight children and teens nearly doubled.
The survey found that 13 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are overweight, up from 11 percent in the previous NHANES survey conducted from 1988 to 1994. The number of overweight teens ages 12 to 19 increased from 11 to 14 percent in the same time period.
"Overweight children are at risk for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other serious health problems. They are part of an epidemic of overweight and obesity that must be addressed so that they can lead healthier lives," said the CDC's director, Dr. Jeffrey Koplan.
SOURCES:
11th European Congress on Obesity, Vienna, Austria, May 30, 2001
"National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey," U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov)
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