Nutrition and Well-Being

by

Paula Demassi 

We have known for a long time that excess body fat is one of the causes of diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, and early death, but we did not know that obesity was also linked to cancer. This was the shocking conclusion of one of the largest medical studies ever made conducted by the Million Woman Study in the United Kingdom. This result has also been confirmed by the World Cancer Research Found and The American Cancer Society.

What about being overweight but not obese? Being overweight as opposed to obesity does not appear to raise your chances of dying from cancer. But then again, what is the line between being obese or just overweight? A person is overweight when he or she has a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.5, while obesity defines someone with a body mass in excess of 30.0.

The obesity problem is a major concern in United States the United Kingdom. Their populations are becoming increasingly obese. Governments need to launch campaigns in order to educate people about nutrition and about the importance of exercise. Reduction of BMI is crucial in the prevention of some forms of cancer.