“Obesity, Women, and Cancer”
Millions of Americans have an ongoing battle with obesity on a daily basis and nearly 30% of the global population is obese or overweight. At this rate, nearly half of the world’s adult population will be overweight or obese by 2030. Globally, more people are overweight or obese than are underweight. A new national CDC report has shown that women have surpassed men in obesity rates (40% for women and 35% for men) and experts do not know why. The report shows that men’s rates have plateaued but women’s obesity rates continue to rise. Studies consistently show that obesity is a major factor linked to additional diseases in men, women and children, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Research has warned that obese children are at an increased risk for liver disease, high blood pressure and heart disease, just as with adults. In 2013, there were an estimated 4.5 million deaths worldwide attributable to overweight and obesity. In 2014, an estimated 640 million adults were obese worldwide. Being overweight/obese is already known to increase the risk for certain cancers, but this association has just become much wider. Another eight cancers have been added to the list, joining the five already there. A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine stated, “The absence of excess body fatness reduces the risk of cancers.”
