Can You Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

We hear it all the timelose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs. For example, a 20-year-old white male, 510 weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.Jamie McManus, M.D., F.A.A.F.P. and author of Your Personal Guide to Wellness notes that while this study referenced extreme levels of obesity, there are still millions of overweight people in developed countries with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than their healthy-weight counterparts. She also estimates that there are 600,000 obesity related deaths each year in America.

Just how does obesity shorten our lifespan? The answer to this question is complex, yet there is a clear link between obesity and the development of cancer. An extensive study conducted by the American Cancer Institute involving 750,000 people showed that obesity significantly increased the risk of cancer developing in the following organs: breast, colon, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder.

Michael Thun, MD, vice-president of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society (ACS) says one reason obesity may raise cancer risk is because fat cells produce a form of estrogen called estradiol that promotes rapid division of cells, increasing chances of a random genetic error while cells are replicating, which can lead to cancer. In addition, fat centered around the abdomen may increase insulin and insulin-like growth factors in the blood, which may increase cancer risk.

"Women who are obese after menopause have a 50% higher relative risk of breast cancer," notes Thun, "and obese men have a 40% higher relative risk of colon cancer. Gallbladder and endometrial cancer risks are five times higher for obese individuals.There is evidence that cancer rates in developed countries are increasing at 5 to 15 times faster than developing countries. A major contributor to this alarming reality has proven to be diet. In populations where the diet consists mostly of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains in contrast to the typical Western diet of fatty meats, refined flours, oils and sugars the risk of cancer is much lower.

The interaction of diet and the development of cancer is an active field of research and Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of What Color is Your Diet, says It appears that diet has its most significant effects after the cancer has already formed, acting to inhibit or stimulate the growth of that cancer. At the risk of oversimplifying a complex set of interactions, the typical Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells.It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine if weight has become health risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of Americans are overweight, defined as having a BMI (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese. You can check your BMI at the website below.

2. Match your diet to your bodys requirements. If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Color your diet with a large variety of colorful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables. There are seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Eat lean protein with every meal. Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with fruit; the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy based meat substitutes.

5. Rev up your metabolism with activity. If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well-being, exercise is a key ingredient. Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society (ACS), says adults should do something for 30 minutes each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk. Children should be active for an hour each day. We are more likely to develop habits around things we enjoy, so seek activities which you enjoy doing. It is also helpful to build physical activity into your daily routine: use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work, park your car in the parking bay furthest from the super marketing and dont use the remote control to change TV channels.

6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight. Whilst a small percentage of people possess the discipline to lose weight, many obese people have developed strong thoughts and habits concerning the food they eat. In order to establish new habits, most people respond well to some form of consistent encouragement and coaching. A study, Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didnt. The study concluded that the support of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So its never to late to start and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.

(c) Copyright by Kim Beardsmore

Kim Beardsmore enjoys the flexibility of working from home. Are you interested in earning money from home? We're looking for individuals who have basic phone and internet skills to join our team of work-at-home-ers. If you're serious about earning money from home and are willing to work (this isn't 'get rich quick'), then we'd like to help you grow a profitable business. We offer complete training, online and offline resources and a partnership for success. http://free2liv.com/?refid=EA-567883373

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Weight Loss Scams Revealed

Wouldnt it be nice to lose weight quickly, with minimal effort or fuss? Of cause you would! I for one would love to just sit back do nothing and the weight will just fall off.

Whether its a low Carb, low GI Diet, A choice of diet pills or natural weight loss pills, diet shakes, or exercise equipment, weve all seen the fantastic claims people including celebrities make about losing tons of weight AND how they can show you how to do the same thing.

I can tell you right now that 99% of these people are total frauds. You may have even fallen prey to one of these scam artists, selling you their latest weight loss program. Me too!

In the past Ive brought so many of these programs that I cant even recall how many. I dont know why, but I tend to find the good in people, and I was sold by these marketing schemes time and time again, even after being scammed by another. Finally, after so many disappointments, I got FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this fascination we have with weight Loss Programs and find out if there really were any LEGITIMATE programs for Weight Loss.

Legitimate as in not only dealing with LOSING WEIGHT but also what caused the Weight Gain in the first place.

The American Heart Association has several tips to that helps guide you to identify a Fad Diet or Program if it is recommended.

Magic or miracle foods that burn fat. Foods dont burn fat they create fat when we eat more than we need.

Bizarre quantities of only one food or type of food such as eating only cabbage or tomatoes. These foods are fine as part of an overall healthy diet, but eating large quantities of them could lead to unpleasant side effects.

Rigid Menus. Many diets set out a very limited selection of foods to be eaten at a specific time and day, exactly as written. Often these limited diets dont address the widely varied taste preferences of our diverse population.

Specific food combinations. Some foods taste good together, like the classic soup and sandwich, but theres no scientific evidence that eating foods in certain sequences or combinations has any medical benefit.

Rapid weight loss of more than two pounds a week.

No warning given to people with diabetes or high blood pressure to seek advice from the physician or healthcare provider. Some fad diets could raise blood pressure or blood glucose even if you loss weight.

No increase physical activity. Simple physical activities, like walking or riding a bike, are one of the most important ways to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Yet many fad diets dont emphasis these easy changes.

Now dont be discouraged, which weight loss program is the right one for you, which one isnt just a fad diet. In my research I have found a few programs that not only deal with losing weight but also the cause of why you got fat in the first place (which by the way, is ultimately the main reason why we end up putting the weight back on) and also adding in successful, simple strategies to increase exercising.

Whatever you do, I wish you a healthy year for you and yours

Author Bio: Gillian Tarawhiti BSc, Dip BM, Dip Ed, is Founder and CEO of Community Training Centre & Gain Back Your Life Centre, A registered EFT Practitioner, Member of AAMET and Online Training and Support to the new and not so new netpreneurs. Gillian is also the author of eBay Billion Dollar Goldmine, and the creator of NO DIET WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM(TM) and the Multiple Ripple Effect System 2004. Permission is granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to http://www.gainbackyourlife-eft.com

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Fatloss4idiots Reviews - What I Dislike About This Diet

The Fatloss4idiots diet has become one of the most successful diets on the market today. There is no doubt that this diet has been used successfully by thousands of people all around the world. It is also clear from the countless reviews and feedbacks, that people lost a lot of weight with this diet, whether as little as 15 pounds or as much as 75 pounds or more.

However, as much as I appreciate this diet, there are some things I dislike about Fatloss4idiots. I wanted to share them with you.

Here are the things I dislike about Fatloss4idiots:

1. The name - Fatloss4idiots is a funny name, but I didn't think it was funny when I saw it for the first time. It can even be insulting. Later, when I understood that the name signifies that this diet is so easy even an idiot can do it, my dislike for the name diminished. But I still think that they could've chosen another name.

2. The 9 pounds every 11 days fat loss promise - Fat Loss 4 Idiots promises that you will lose 9 pounds every 11 days of use. I don't like this promise because every person is different and loses weight at a different pace. Sure, some people do lose 9 pounds every 11 days, others do even better. But most of the people lose an average of 6 pounds every 11 days. This is still a great weight loss rate, so I think Fatloss4idiots could've done without the 9 pounds promise.

3. Lack of support - The biggest downside to Fatloss4idiots is that you don't have a support group with this diet. The reason is that it's so easy to use that you don't really need any support, but sometimes it's nice to read someone else's feedback and get some more explanation. That's why I wrote an extensive review of this diet on this webpage: Fatloss4idiots Review

I want to make one thing clear: Fat Loss 4 Idiots does work. The fact that there are 3 things I think they could've done better doesn't diminish the achievement of this diet.

To read how you can start to lose as much as 9 lbs. in 11 days in keep it off, visit this webpage:
How to lose 9 lbs. every 11 days with The Shifting Calories method.

John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. To read more fast weight loss, click here: http://www.squidoo.com/fatloss4idiotsdiet

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