Lucknow : The World Cancer Research Fund estimates that about 20% of all cancers diagnosed  are related to body fatness, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and/or poor nutrition, and thus could be prevented.

These factors are all related and may all contribute to cancer risk, but body weight seems to have the strongest evidence linking it to cancer.

Being overweight or obese is clearly linked with an increased risk of many cancers.An unhealthy and high fat diet does not only affect your waistline, but is also responsible to become one of the reasons for developing most cancers. According to a new reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 40 percent of the  cancer diagnoses can now be linked to overweight and obesity.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has identified certain types of cancers that have been linked to overweight and obesity- meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus, cancers of the thyroid, post-menopausal breast cancer, stomach, liver, uterus, ovaries, colon and rectum among others. Out of these, colon, rectal, pancreatic, breast, liver and ovarian are the most dangerous types of cancers.

It is imperative to eat healthy and exercise for at least 15-30 minutes to prevent weight gain.

Research on how losing weight might lower the risk of developing cancer is limited. Still, there’s growing evidence that weight loss might reduce the risk of breast cancer (after menopause), more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, and possibly other cancers, too.

Some body changes that occur as a result of weight loss suggest it may, indeed, reduce cancer risk. For example, overweight or obese people who intentionally lose weight have reduced levels of certain hormones that are related to cancer risk, such as insulin, estrogens, and androgens.

While we still have much to learn about the link between weight loss and cancer risk, people who are overweight or obese should be encouraged and supported if they try to lose weight. Aside from possibly reducing cancer risk, losing weight can have many other health benefits, such as lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Losing even a small amount of weight has health benefits and is a good place to start.