Obesity Can Lead to Colon Cancers

Are you a bit overweight or obese? You better be not, especially if you have family member which have suffered from colon cancers. A recent study has shown that obesity can predispose one to have colon cancer.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a state wherein a person is more than overweight and has a high amount of fat in the body. The body mass index is one way of telling whether a person is obese or not. The body mass index can be obtained by dividing your weight on kilograms with your height in meters squared. A person whose BMI fall between 25 and 29 is overweight while a person whose BMI is 30 or above is considered obese. Another measure of obesity is waist circumference. Waist circumference that reaches 94 cm or more in men and 80 cm or more in women is indicative of obesity.

Being obese predisposes one to a multitude of medical problems. An obese person has an increased risk of life-threatening diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancers such as breast cancer or colon cancer and stroke. Depression and other mental health problems may also result.

More and more children are now becoming more obese nowadays and experts blame it on media advertising and poor food choices. Pregnant women who are obese may also become at risk for complications which may be life-threatening both to her and to the baby. Obesity should be treated when present to prevent further weight gain. Weight loss should be done through controlling the intake of calories and through exercise. Lost weight should not be regained in the long run and general health should improve while obesity related complications are reduced.

So what causes obesity? Obesity often results from aces to cheaper yet high-caloric food portions. These foods are full of empty calories and do not contain a complete set of essential nutrients. Sedentary lifestyles such as office work, television watching and computer-working and gaming can also result to obesity. Transportation makes people drive a lot or commute rather than walk for even a short distance. Medical problems may also result to obesity such as polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Obesity may be managed by a dietician or a physician. The physician may use medications to aid weight loss however not all people are suited to weight loss medications. Your physician should advise it for your use. Psychological treatment may also be given to change unhealthy eating patterns and behaviour.

Weight loss surgery should be the last resort for obese people. It is often used to treat obese patients with life-threatening complications. These methods include gastric band or gastric bypass surgeries. Treatment of obesity should be done as soon as possible to avoid life-threatening complications. Even moderate weight loss can bring about important health benefits.

Obesity and Colon Cancer

A recent study has found out that obesity can cause changes in the colon that can later on lead to colorectal cancer. This study was done in mice by researchers from the National Institutes of Health.  The findings recommend that calorie control and frequent exercise should be coupled with colon cancer prevention, since colon cancer is one of the most common life-threatening cancers nowadays. The results of this study will be printed on the April 1 edition of the journal Cell Metabolism.

In this study, the researchers fed a group of mice with a diet containing 60% of calories coming from lard. The first group of mice contained a human version of a gene called NAG-1, which has been shown to protect against colon cancer in other rodent studies. The second group lacked the NAG-1 gene. The mice with the NAG-1 gene did not gain weight after eating high fat diet. The second group of mice also exhibited molecular signals that could lead to colon cancer. Thus it is assumed that a high fat diet along with obesity can lead to colon cancers.

You can read more about obesity when you browse our other articles on this site.