FAT AND CANCER

The Imperial College, London and the University of Leeds reviewed seven research publications, all of which showed excess tummy fat or a potbelly to be predictors of bowel cancer. Researchers from these universities have claimed that for every inch of waist size that is above a healthy waist measurement, the likelihood of bowel cancer can rise by up to three per cent.

Therefore, obesity, especially around the tummy area can lead to cancer. It is a fact that several people in India have potbellies and as a result, they are at a higher risk of developing bowel cancer. To understand how obesity leads to cancer, we need to first understand obesity and how it affects our health.

Obesity
People who are obese have an abnormally high and unhealthy proportion of body fat. In fact, obesity and physical inactivity accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of cancers including colon cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the uterus and cancer of the oesophagus.

If a woman has a waist size of more than 32 inches and a man has a waist of more than 35 inches, it could mean that they are at a higher risk of getting cancer. In fact, according to a report published in the journal of the American College of Cardiology, people with large waist-to-hip ratios (WHRs) are almost twice as likely to have calcium deposits, which indicate the onset of atherosclerosis in the arteries of their hearts that can lead to heart attacks.

It has also been found the risk of developing breast cancer and dying from it after menopause is higher among obese women.

How to reduce the risk?
The most common form of cancer caused due to obesity is colon cancer. In 2002, a major review of observational trials found that physical activity reduced the risk of developing colon cancer by 50 per cent. This risk reduction occurred even with moderate levels of physical activity. Moderate exercise such as brisk walking for three to four hours a week has been shown to lower the risk.

Therefore, people should try to stay fit without being over or under weight. It is especially important to maintain a healthy waist size as even people who are seemingly thin, could get cancer if they carry a big belly. Individuals who have high saturated fats in their diet are at a risk of developing a potbelly. Foods rich in saturated fats like meat, butter, processed foods and many junk foods should be avoided.

Common misconceptions
It is a common misconception that “pot exercise” (exercising a specific muscle or location of the body) most effectively burns fat in the desired body part but this is not true. Spot exercise is beneficial for building specific muscles, but it has little effect on the fat in that area of the body or on the body’s distribution of fat. The same applies to sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises. These exercises may be useful in building the abdominal muscle but they have little effect on the adipose tissue located there.

Therefore, physical exercises that involve the entire body like jogging or brisk walking are most effective to help you stay in shape.

The writer is a consultant radiation oncologist at
Apollo Hospital.