Western Illinois is getting attention....for having larger-than-average waistlines.
The American Cancer Society reports that every county in western Illinois has more than the state average of obese people.
It's the same story in northeast Missouri and southeast Iowa.
We all have heard that obesity can lead to heart disease and diabetes.
It also may make you more prone to cancer.
Related links:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/obesity
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-11-05-1Aweightcancer05_ST_N.htm
Dana Herring has made a move to get fit. While she's losing weight, she may be lessening her chances of getting some types of cancers.
The American Cancer Society recently estimated one-third of cancer deaths in Minnesota were due to obesity. Right now, two-thirds of the country is either overweight or obese.
Click here to see how the obesity problem has multiplied over the years.
When you see high obesity levels, are you concerned?
Joe Blasko, Senior Health Initiatives Representative with the American Cancer Society said, "Absolutely, we are seeing one in three people in their lifetime will develop cancer and obviously these obesity levels concern us."
The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research says if you're obese, you're statistically more likely to suffer from endometrial and esophageal cancer. Obesity also is linked to high rates of mouth and neck cancers, as well as stomach and colorectal cancer.
Here is the complete list, according to the American Cancer Society (2003):
- Breast cancer (after menopause)
- Cervical cancer
- Colon or rectal cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Gall bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Ovarian cancer
- Pancreas cancer
- Stomach cancer (in men)
- Uterine cancer.
Dr. Kathryn Arrambide is a medical oncologist at the Blessing Cancer Center.
We asked her, "Why is obesity linked to cancer? Do we know?"
Dr. Arrambide said, "We know there is a link there and we don't know exactly how it works. In some cases, cancer is related to hormonal changes, for example. And fat tissue does produce a hormone called estrone which may stimulate those receptors but it's not entirely clear how the whole relationship works."
She says while it's unlikely obesity causes cancer, it's likely a strong contributing factor...and one you can control.
Dr. Arrambide said, "We can't change who we are related to, we can't do anything about the genes we were born with, we can't do anything about our race or sex or age, but we can adjust our diet. I suspect that if we look at this in childhood and deal with childhood obesity, we will make a more significant impact on adult risks, instead of waiting until someone is 40 or 50 and start thinking about it then."
With the obesity epidemic running rampant, experts are hoping for a wake-up call...to take obesity out of the cancer-risk equation.
Adams County weighs in as one of the most obese in the state. More than 30 percent of its residents are obese...40 percent are considered overweight.
Joe Blasko with the American Cancer Society says that's one of the reasons why the county's Relay for Life was chosen as a site for Cancer Prevention Study 3.
It's a study that follows 500 thousand people nationwide for 20 years.
Blasko said, "We're really banking on this study to go into greater depths to see why certain people in certain age ranges get prostate cancer or get breast cancer. Is there something in their family history? Is there something in their diet? That's the real promise of this study, to find out why people contract cancer during the course of their lives."
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA