Biology in Action

You’re post caught my attention for several reasons. Recently my Mom had a scare with small tumors in her breast that were misread at her Mammogram. The process of tests being redone and done again with m ore detail was scary for both my mother and my family. All women from both sides of my family have large breasts, therefore the issue of breast cancer has always been carefully monitored, as it should be with anyone women.

What especially caught my attention was your reference to women being of higher risk after menopause. I know my mom just went through menopause before this all happened and I did not think there was a correlation between the two events. That’s definately something I am going to inform her about and it is good to know for myself. I know that due to her breast side my mom has been increasing her exercising with daily walks and biking to help keep her weight down and hopefully lead to some breast decrease. I think it is important to know that breast size can lead to a variety of issues besides cancer, such as back pain which can also affect everyday life.

I did some research of my own to look up the other affect obesity can lead to in terms of cancer and found a few resourceful sites.

http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=12898&news_iv_ctrl=1102#

On this site, the American Institute for Cancer Research(AICR) and the World Cancer Research FUnd (WCRF) reported that there is a large amount of evidence that links the excess of body fat to a higher risk of developing cancer. Not only did they mention body fat leading to post-menopausal breast cancer, but also that carrying excess body fat increases that risk for kidney, colon, pancreas, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and endometrium as well. The report gives us a recommendation to stay within a healthy weight range. They use the BMI to chart adult weight gain and give a range from 18.5 to 24.9.

Personally I do not think the BMI is entirely accurate. My boyfriend and I, both athletes, can not relate to the BMI chart because it does not take muscle fully into weight as it weighs more than fat. If you are talking about the average person whose exercise leafs them to a lean figure I would say it is more accurate. This site also added that there is evidence linking cancer to the consumption of red and processed meant, as well as, alcohol. I think this is important to take into consideration because the portion size at chain resturants has increased so much that people are eating 2-5x the amount of meat at eat meal than necessary.

Another site, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=87350, follows a similar mindset with obesity, the proper weight range, and the consuption of red meat. They used the same source, WCRF, to report that the key is finding and maintaining a healthy weight, a BMI of 20-25. What this site did offer is an amount of meat we should consume a week. According to them, people should not consume anymore than
500g of red meat a week. This is equivelant to 700 and 750g of non-cooked meat. And what they did note which I think is imporant is that dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention.

I think its pretty simple, go out there, exercise on a daily basis and watch what you eat. If you do that, it will help decrease your chances at cancer, as well as, other health risks.

I was surprised at how much greater of a percentage obesity’s link to cancer is with women, 8.6%, compared to men, 3.2%. I had heard about the dangers of hormone replacement but did not know that obesity was also a significant cause of cancer. I wonder if they have found a particular type(s) of cancer primarily associated with obesity or if it is a mixture? I know the article talked about breast cancer in obese women but I wonder what type affects men. I also hope that studies like the ones done in Europe will take place in the United States. I think that if more people become aware of yet another potentially deadly side-effect of obesity, more people will begin to watch their weight or take the appropriate measures to become a healthy weight.

Obesity is a health risk, and I’m tired of the encouragement towards obese people to embrace their size, when in fact it may be their size that is killing them. Our society caters to big people. Fast food restaurants allow us to “supersize” meals and some clothing stores are dedicated to dressing “plus-sized” people. The average size woman in the U.S. is a 14. I’m nineteen years old and my BMI is 20, which falls into the normal weight category from 18.5-24.9. By these standards, my weight is normal. I’m a size 4. The average sized woman in the U.S. is ten sizes bigger than me, and I’m done growing. 62% of females in the U.S. are considered overweight. The list of health risks associated with obesity is long, and it continues to grow. Being obese is not healthy, it’s dangerous, and our society should not be catering to obesity. We should be working to prevent it by encouraging healthier eating habits and exercise. If you’re too big for a certain clothing store, you should be worried about your health, not the fact that they don’t sell jeans that fit you. I believe that people should be looking at the bigger picture, that obesity is a serious health risk.