If You're Overweight, You May Need a New Doctor

If you ask anyone who is seriously overweight about the prejudice and insensitivity they experience in their everyday lives, you will likely get an earful. From the "dirty looks" an overweight person may get from a slender seatmate on an airplane, to the not-so-subtle judgments of overweight people who order dessert in a restaurant, weight bias is everywhere in our society.

If you wonder what this has to do with colon cancer, consider that overweight and obesity cause up to a third of all colon cancer cases that occur in the United States. Pretty much, you can't talk about colon cancer prevention without talking about obesity.

So we know it's important that people receive the help and support they need to reach and maintain a healthy body weight, which in turn will reduce colon cancer risk. And it's unlikely that prejudice and bias against overweight people is going to help accomplish this. Now research suggests that this type of anti-fat bias goes beyond the general public. A new study confirms that many health care providers also have less respect for their overweight and obese patients.

This matters a lot for anyone who is ready to tackle their eating and exercise issues in order to reach a healthier body weight. When you want to lose weight and improve your health, you do not need a health care provider who is unsupportive and critical.

One of the lead researchers on the recent study about weight bias among physicians confirms that overweight patients sense this prejudice and feel it makes it harder to get good medical care. Dr. Mary Huizinga recounted that the idea for the research occurred to her because patients often told her no other physician talked to them this way before or listened to them regarding their struggles with weight issues. Many "felt they weren't receiving the type of care" that other, normal-weight patients received.

Finding the Help and Medical Care You Need

If you're significantly overweight and you want to work with your health care provider to address this issue, keep the following important points in mind:

• If you want to reduce your risk of colon cancer, getting to a healthy body weight is one of the most important things you can do to achieve this goal. Up to one-third of all colon cancers are caused by overweight and obesity.
• Weight loss is not easy. Just staying at a healthy weight as we age is difficult. If weight loss were easy, nearly 70% of the adult population of the United States would not be classified as overweight or obese.
• If you've tried to lose weight in the past and have not succeeded, keep trying! Many health experts feel that every attempt you make to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, such as losing weight or quitting smoking, is "practice" for the next time around. With every attempt, you learn more about what works and what doesn't, making it more likely that you will get it right the next time around.
• Support from a weight loss organization such as Weight Watchers or Taking Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) is a good place to start when trying to lose weight. Consulting with a nutrition professional such as a registered dietitian is ideal, if you can afford to do so.
• Talk to your doctor honestly about your desire to lose weight so that you can improve your health and reduce your risk of colon cancer, other cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.
• Tell your doctor that you would like help with your weight loss goals.
• If your doctor places the focus on blaming you for being overweight, consider finding a more supportive health care provider.

The Bottom Line

Being overweight markedly increases the risk of colon cancer. Being overweight also may increase the risk of colon cancer recurrence in people who have had this disease. I wouldn't be mentioning this topic of it weren't so vitally important to anyone who cares about preventing, and more effectively managing, colon cancer.