If lower colon cancer risk is something you want to make a reality in your life, you may want to jump on the new year's resolution band wagon. That's because losing weight may be the single most popular new year's resolution and maintaining a healthy body weight as we age is one of the best ways we can lower our colon cancer risk.
Stay Thinner, Reduce Colon Cancer Risk
New results out of the Iowa Women's Health Study (IWHS) show that if you're significantly overweight, losing weight is a worthy goal to pursue. For the body weight and colon cancer risk study, nearly 37,000 older women (55-69 years of age) were weighed and measured beginning in 1986 and followed up through 2005. These women also provided information on how much they weighed at ages 18, 30, 40, and 50.
Women who were heaviest - most overweight - at the start of the study had 56% greater risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer than thinner women. A few extra pounds seems not to matter, but carrying around significant fat lead to significant colon cancer risk. In general, it was obesity, not merely being overweight, that led to the highest, long-term colon cancer risk.
Find Your Healthy Weight
How do you know if you fall into the obese category? Use body mass index (BMI) as a way to figure this out. This measurement takes into account weight adjusted for height in determining who falls into the obese category.
If you're carrying around extra pounds and want to get rid of them, start slow, commit to small, daily changes, and move yourself a little more. Even a short walk everyday can nudge the needle on the scale in the right direction. And don't beat yourself up over your weight!
Losing weight and maintaining a healthy body weight isn't easy in our fast food, instant gratification culture. If it were, two-thirds to three-quarters of us wouldn't already be overweight. Overweight may not be your fault, but it is your responsibility to make your own health your #1 priority!
