Obesity and Cancer Risks

How much you weigh, and how old you are have a major effect on cancer risk, according to new studies: In adults under 45, tonsil and tongue cancers seem to be rising in many countries, due in part to the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV).

You cannot change your age, but you can, and should control your weight. What’s worrying is that many recent surveys done in various countries, point to an increase in the incidence of obesity, and its relationship to various types of cancers. Most people do not get screened for colon cancer until they are 50 (if at all), but the disease is on the rise in younger population too. And, one likely reason for that is: the new obesity epidemic. Recently, authors of a major cancer report said that excess fat was linked to increased risk of six types of cancers, including the colon cancer.

Another study found that overweight and obese men with prostate cancer are nearly twice as likely to die as compared to thinner patients. You know the drill: Diet and exercise to drop those deadly pounds!