REDUCING YOUR CANCER RISK THROUGH WEIGHT LOSS

If you’ve ever had an initial weight screening with CMWL, you’ve received a 4-page report that details your health risk related to your weight. It includes your risk of developing cancer, which is an eye-opener for many people who have discussed the report with their provider.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of the very real connection between carrying extra body weight and fat and your risk of developing cancer.

Here is a very informative video from Cancer.net on ways you can reduce your cancer risk through behaviors that promote weight loss, but first some basic facts and statistics:

• The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that about 20% of all cancers diagnosed in the US are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, and/or poor nutrition.

• Being overweight or obese is clearly linked to Breast, Colon, Endometrial, Esophageal, Kidney, and Pancreatic cancers.

• Being overweight or obese also increases the risk of Gallbladder, Liver, Cervical, and Ovarian Cancers, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma

• Most studies indicate that physically active women have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than inactive women.

• Obesity-related pain or irregular hormone levels can disguise some of the early warning signs of some cancers.

If you’d like to get a better idea of your weight-related cancer risk, just find a provider in the CMWL network and make an appointment. It’s an easy first step in learning where you stand, and what action you can take to live to your fullest potential.