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Weight-Cancer Link
A recent study from the American Cancer Society shows more bad news for those who are overweight. Researchers say excess body weight may contribute to about 20 percent of all cancer deaths in women and 14 percent for men.
According to the 16-year study, overweight or obese men and women had a higher risk of death from most types of cancer but obesity did not raise the risk of death from lung cancer, brain cancer and melanoma.
It's estimated that 65 percent of Americans or overweight or obese (10 pounds or more over a healthy weight). It's known that being overweight raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.
The American Cancer Society is urging Americans make maintaining a healthy weight a national priority. Eugenia Calle, lead author of the study says, "We are at the same point now with obesity that we were with smoking in the mid-'60s."
Pump up Your Program
When it comes to exercise more intensity might be better.
Despite other research claiming moderate exercise helps, a recent study in the British medical journal Heart found only vigorous exercise (jogging, hiking, climbing stairs or swimming) seemed to help lower the risk of early death from heart disease.
Researchers in Belfast, Northern Ireland followed 2,000 men for a decade. They found that activities providing mild exercise (walking, bowling, golfing) did not lower the risk of early death. Only vigorous exercise was linked with a reduction in the risk of death from heart disease. The more heavy exercise the men did, but less their chances of dying during the study.
Critics have faulted the study because men were only questioned about their exercise habits only time at the start of the study-they may have changed their habits over the 10 years of the study.
Living Too Easy in the Suburbs?
We keep hearing about how we need to eat less and exercise more. Some health experts want to spread the blame about Americans' weight problems. They say the designs of neighborhoods may be partly responsible. Many neighborhoods lack sidewalks, schools and businesses are too far away. Cites and suburbs have been developed on the assumption that residents will drive to where they need to go.
Government studies show Americans make fewer than 6 percent of their daily trips on foot and fewer than 13 percent of students walk to school. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson foundation are teaming up to find ways to create more walkable, bikeable communities.
Some health officials are skeptical about whether more walking-friendly neighborhoods will help with the American weight problem. They say some people will get physical exercise regardless of where they live and others will remain couch potatoes despite beautiful walking trails.
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