Obesity is a condition in which a person has an abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat. Obesity is diagnosed by a number called the Body Mass Index (BMI), which calculates the amount of body fat. Your BMI is calculated from your current height and weight. The higher the BMI the more body fat a person has.
According to a study published in the noted Lancet, India is just behind US & China in this global hazard list of top 10 countries with the highest number of obese people. India is truly under siege: junk food, alcohol & sedentary lifestyle are leading us to silent self destruction, making one in every Indian men & women either obese or overweight. Experts believe obesity has to do with the lifestyle issues of the major population in urban India. The urban populace has easy access to high-calorie packaged foods such as burgers, chips and colas. Moreover, people in cities follow a sedentary lifestyle. Little or no physical activity and a predilection for gizmos such as video games, computers are to blame.
Extra fat in the body can have harmful effects, like producing hormones and growth factors that affect the way our cells work. This can raise the risk of several diseases, including cancer. The higher the BMI, the higher the risk of cancer.
A recent study conducted by WHO's International Agency for Cancer on Research (IARC), reveals that excess body weight puts you at the risk of various types of cancer such as Esophagus, Pancreas, Liver, Thyroid, Breast, Ovarian, Kidney.
Let’s look at the some possibilities that obesity leads to cancer:
1. Fat tissue produces excess amounts of estrogen, high levels of which have been associated with the risk of breast, endometrial, and some other cancers.
2. Excessive body fat may also increase the risk and severity of chronic inflammation, oxidative DNA damage which has been associated with increased risk of cancer
3. Obese people have increased insulin levels in their blood which may promote the development of certain tumors
The most definite way to test whether avoiding weight gain or losing weight will decrease the risk of cancer comes only through a controlled clinical trial. Whether losing weight or avoiding weight gain prevents cancer come mainly from group case studies but lifestyle factors such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising, in addition to not smoking, can have a significant impact on reducing cancer risk.
Also follow these simple steps to avoid obesity:
1. Go for Balanced diet
2. Get creative with exercise. Pick out interesting ways to move your body
3. Eat three meals everyday breakfast, lunch and dinner
4. Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in a day
5. Limit the fat, sugar and salt in your diet. Consult your GP for that
6. Quit smoking and drinking
7. Go for brisk walking twice in a day for 30 minutes
Stay healthy and obesity free..!!
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