Losing weight with Lap-band surgery can reduce your risk for contracting cancer. The National Cancer institute states that being overweight greatly increases your risk for cancer. Losing weight not only reduces your risk for getting many diseases, it helps your body fight illness. Just ask Candy Lesher. She was an overweight person stricken by cancer, who subsequently experienced serious complications from treatment. In her video she tells you how weight loss allowed her to beat the complications and return to health.
Can Lap-band surgery help protect you from Cancer?
Indications are that obesity facilitates the disease cancer. To be honest, our writing here is derived from a writing on the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) website. It includes many quotes from the NCI writing. We rely on quotes from facts in the NCI writing because there is really very little more we can say about the subject. They say that obesity increases the risk of many cancers, including cancer of the breast (postmenopausal), endometrium (the lining of the uterus), colon, kidney, and esophagus. Some studies also reported links between obesity and cancers of the gallbladder, ovaries, pancreas, and stomach. They report that weight loss may lower the risks of these cancers. Please be aware that these are some pretty hard facts and they may be frightening to some readers. Here is the link to the National Cancer Institute's writing:
Obesity and Cancer: Questions and Answers
The relationship between obesity and cancer
25 to 30 percent of several major cancers may be attributed to obesity and inactivity. That is a shocking statistic that should cause any overweight person to come to terms with their obesity. The National Cancer Institute recommends that overweight people lose weight and that even a 5 to 10 percent weight reduction can provide benefits. Here are some more shocking statistics from the NCI writing:
- "In 2002, about 41,000 new cases of cancer in the United States were estimated to be due to obesity. This means that about 3.2 percent of all new cancers are linked to obesity."
- "A recent report estimated that, in the United States, 14 percent of deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of deaths in women were due to overweight and obesity."
Weight gain in adult women is a predictor for breast cancer...
...it is the most consistent and strongest predictor of breast cancer risk.
- "The distribution of body fat may also affect breast cancer risk. Women with a large amount of abdominal fat have a greater breast cancer risk than those whose fat is distributed over the hips, buttocks, and lower extremities... "
Obesity is CONSISTENTLY linked to cancer of the uterus
Obese women have 2 to 4 times the risk for developing uterine cancer:
- "Obesity has been estimated to account for about 40 percent of endometrial cancer cases in affluent societies."
Obesity increases the risk of colon cancer...especially in men
An increased risk of colon cancer has been consistently reported for men with high BMIs.
But while an obese women's overall risk for colon cancer is less...
- "Women with a high BMI who are either premenopausal or postmenopausal and taking estrogens have an increased risk of colon cancer similar to that found for men with a high BMI."
Being overweight increases the risk of kidney cancer
An obese person has an 84% higher chance of getting Kidney cancer!
- "A meta-analysis (where several studies are combined into a single report)... estimated the kidney cancer risk to be 36 percent higher for an overweight person and 84 percent higher for an obese person compared to those with a healthy weight ."
Obesity increases the risk of many stomach cancers
- "Overweight and obese individuals are two times more likely than healthy weight people to develop a type of esophageal cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma . A smaller increase in risk has been found for gastric cardia cancer, a type of stomach cancer that begins in the area of the stomach next to the esophagus... An increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma has also been associated with weight gain"
Gallbladder cancer has been found to be associated with obesity
Obese Women are at higher risk of developing Gallbladder cancer.
- "An increased risk of gallbladder cancer has been found to be associated with obesity, particularly among women. This may be due to the higher frequency of gallstones in obese individuals, as gallstones are considered a strong risk factor for gallbladder cancer. However, there is not enough evidence to draw firm conclusions."
Physical activity may lower the risk of cancer
We know...no one likes to exercise. But it is important that you realize the value of exercise for your long-term health.
Colon Cancer:
- "...In 2002, a major review of observational trials found that physical activity reduced colon cancer risk by 50 percent. This risk reduction occurred even with moderate levels of physical activity. For example, one study showed that even moderate exercise, such as brisk walking for 3 to 4 hours per week, can lower colon cancer risk."
- "A limited number of studies have examined the effect of physical activity on colon cancer risk for both lean and obese people. Most of these studies have found a protective effect of physical activity across all levels of BMI."
Breast Cancer:
- "...A recent study from the Women’s Health Initiative found that physical activity among postmenopausal women at a level of walking about 30 minutes per day was associated with a 20 percent reduction in breast cancer risk. However, this reduction in risk was greatest among women who were of normal weight. For these women, physical activity was associated with a 37 percent decrease in risk. The protective effect of physical activity was not found among overweight or obese women."
Now that you know obesity can cause cancer...what should you do?
If you are overweight and especially with a history of cancer in your family, you may have wondered what your best course to lessen your probability of getting the disease might be. The solution is obvious. Your best counter to the disease is weight loss. Healthy diet and exercise should also be a part of your plan. Our support groups teach you and guide you through the things you need to eat right and exercise. The Lap-band is the easiest and safest way for you to lose weight if you can't do it any other way.
