Cancer Prevention

I have fought a constant battle with weight since I turned 21 because I feel that I am at high risk for lots of nasty things like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Research in the recent past has led me to believe that being overweight is associated with increased risk of those things I mentioned above. One thing to think about is that just because two things happen together don't mean one caused the other. My favorite example of this is pickle toxicity- just about every American who died in a car crash last year ate at least one pickle in the prior 12 months. The pickle obviously had nothing to do with the risk of death but the above statement is still true. The pickle example illustrates the fact that just because two things happen together should not lead one to believe that they are related. A number of theories exist as to why obesity is associated with other problems, but given the complexities of the situation it is difficult to establish direct cause and effect. "Fat" people may be found to engage in other risky behaviors that have nothing to do with their weight. In fact some studies have suggested that if someone with excess body fat is otherwise in good physical shape their risk for other problems is lower than sedentary "normal" weight individuals.
In her series of New York Times articles on the battle against cancer http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/health/research/13prevent.html?_r=1 Gina Kolata details how this difficulty in defining causation adds to the confusion over how to prevent cancer. One major problem for those trying to find answers isthe vast amount of information out there. For every study that seems to point to a cause another seems to contradict it. Gina does a fine job of considering all the info and distilling it. Some of the advice that is now in question about behaviors that are thought to reduce cancer risk such as high fiber and low fat diets are still good ideas. All Americans would benefit from eating more vegetables and less junk food for reasons that have little to do with cancer. Interestingly the evidence seems to point to the fact that most of the dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of many cancers are actually effective when implemented during young childhood. This could mean that the die is cast after puberty or that the benefits are cumulative over a lifetime. In practice the result is the same- good diet and exercise need to be modeled by parents and taught to children as early as possible. I tend to think we have time to get my three kids online with healthy choices but the truth is we should have been more strict long ago. It is time for more low-fat cow's milk, less candy, less soda, more family walks, and better stress management for my wife and I to share wth our kids. This also means I that we need to consider what supplements and flllers are added to our processed foods. Just as adults need to limit their soy consumption we need to watch how much soy is used in the food our kids eat and drink. It's time to go- there are some labels I need to read and new trails to run!