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Obesity Growing to Be Top Cancer Cause

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Associated Press/AP Online
BOSTON - Obesity is on its way to being deadlier than smoking as a cause of cancer, a leading researcher said Friday. Being obese is currently associated with about 14 percent of cancer deaths in men and 20 percent in women, compared with about 30 percent each for smoking, Dr. Walter C. Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health, told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.



"As smoking goes down and obesity goes up it won't be long before obesity is the No. 1 cancer killer," Willett said at a symposium on cancer prevention.

Added Dr. Douglas R. Lowy of the National Cancer Institute: "Cancer prevention begins at home. ... Not all of us always act in our own best interest."

Willett said research is producing increasing evidence associating obesity with a variety of cancers, including breast, colorectal, liver, pancreas and gallbladder. Alcohol is also associated with certain cancers, he said.

In the 1980s, researchers focused on the amount of fat people ate as a probable cause of cancer, but studies did not strongly support that. Later they turned to diets high in fruits and vegetables as a way to reduce cancer, but again, Willett said, they struggled to find convincing evidence in studies.

Now attention has turned to obesity, and more and more research is providing evidence that indict that as a cancer cause.

That does not mean people should start eating fruit and vegetables and go to a low-fat diet, he quickly added. "We do see evidence of a benefit for heart disease, I think that's pretty real," he said.

And, he noted, studies have indicated some benefit from a high fruit and vegetable diet in some cancers, he added, including mouth, esophagus, lung and stomach.

Overall, Willett estimated 30 percent to 35 percent of cancers are due to nutritional factors, much of it to obesity.

In a paranoid sort of way, I'm beginning to believe that I'm actually the worst person on earth. I've never been suspected or arrested for any crime (so far), and in my life, I've gotten two traffic tickets.

Let me explain.

First, I'm white and I'm a male.

Second, when I think of food, my thoughts run to burgers, bacon, eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and hot dogs. If I eat vegetables at all, it is becaused they have been somehow incorporated or layed atop these other things. The side items of my diet include french fries and other forms of potato. Occasionally, I enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Simple, nutritious and delicious. To this day, I have never eaten guacamole (aka "barf") and I avoid new, foreign sounding foods religiously. For example, I'm not sure what "brew-shett-a" is, but I won't eat it. I don't go to place called "Panera" on principle, because I suspect it's a place oprahfied housewives go for lunch before the show starts. I don't eat breads with funny names that usually end in vowels and sound anything like "freshetta". I'm a man. I'm an American. I eat meat and potatoes.

(BTW, I've worked in offices for many years now, and I have to know this. Ladies, what the Hell is that vomit, ass and tomato concoction that you are constantly bringing in inside Tupperwear and cooking in the microwave? It stinks to high heaven and makes the whole lunch room smell like microwaved vomit! If you work in an office, you've got to know what I'm talking about! I'm not offended by it, I just can't believe you eat it!)

Third, I smoke. I see other people guiltily confessing to their smoking on the internet, minimalizing their cigarette usage to the most acceptable guilty smoker PC extremes. Bullshit. I suck down two packs a day. When I'm riding in my car, I actually have landmarks picked out according to how many cigarettes I can smoke before arriving at home.

Fourth, I drive. Man, I love to sit in the car, listen to an audiobook or AM radio and just guzzle as much gas as I can while chain-smoking all the way. When I drive long distances to see family, I'm sometimes disappointed at my arrival because I can't just cruise peacefully along, sucking down smokes by the fistful, drinking coffee by the gallon, and burning gas by the tankfull.

My cholesterol level is 274. My doctor gave me a prescription for it. Eight months ago. It's crumpled up in my wallet. Vytorin. If you follow the news, you know what I was thinking and, to be honest, I don't give a damn what my cholesterol level is.

I'm relatively young. I'm probably younger than most of the people who post here.

I've got to tell you, though; I don't recognize the world I'm currently living in. It has reality, but it has no reason.

Everyone's afraid of nothing. My father left high school and went into the military without ever knowing what it was like to have running water in his house, but I'm supposed to be afraid of cellphones, food, secondhand smoke, SUVs and identity theft.

Before there were as any kind of social welfare, my grandmother stood in the street with two small kids and tearfully watched her husband walk down the street into World War II. Later that day, he came back. Grandpa was failed on account of flat feet. So few were so lucky.

How horribly ungrateful people are now. How ignorant. What a great shame.

I am so utterly disgusted with the political times that we live in that I can't even find a restful place for my eyes to stare into blank space.

Secondhand smoke? Get out of my face you weak, brainwashed, pathetic, psychotic weirdo.

Would you like to know what I really think?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WinstonSmith,

Hey Winston-in times such as today, as you so perfectly described-this is time I head off and read Ayn Rand for daily sanity boosts.

How I interpret Howard Roarke: I live for no man-I sacrifice for no one.

How I interpret John Galt: Turn off the machine and walk away.

How I interpret from both characters: If I have created, made, thought of the perfect anything; I have the power to use, give, sell it to whom I choose to. I will destroy that product, idea, etc. before I let it into the hands of Second Handers. (Those who would demand the same, and demand their changes to it-in the name of the "level playing field", it's not fair, I Deserve that in exchange for Nothing, adnauseum.)

This is my choice. (and ps. I have destroyed things I created for those exact reasons-and also let things I have created go out free...no strings, ownership-but again, My Choice!)

The article points out that the medical profession actually has no idea what CAUSES Cancer, all they can do is point fingers at the guilty pleasures of life.

I have yet to see a study that implicates anything the medical profession does or prescribes that c an cause cancer. I admit once in a while they do point to a specific drug as a cause of death, never the practice of medicine.

No study has looked into the life time consumption of prescription drugs as a possible cause of death unless they were abused.

Can any of us say we have not ingested a man made chemicle?

The persons that cite the "next great cause of cancer" seem to be oblivious, or deliberately ignore the fact that there will ALWAYS be a number one, or leading cause of death.
They are chasing a phantom that they can not, and will never catch, or prevent from causing the deaths they attribute to it. (no matter what the cause)
After obesity, it appears that the next target for reducing "premature" deaths will be alcohol. What will be the leading cause of death after that campaign is underway?
And after whatever that turns out to be, what's after that?, and then after that?, and after that?,....This is all "make work", there is no catching up, or getting ahead of the curve, but it does provide employment for thousands in the campaign to "fix it"

Similar to Winston, I believe I am an anamoly in the grand scheme of things.
I too am a white male and I'm fast approaching 50 years old.(later this year)
I eat once a day, and not because I dislike food in general and not becasue I particularly enjoy it, but because it's fuel, I have to eat.
If I can't tell what it used to be, or if it doesn't bear any resemblence to what it's supposed to be, I'll be swinging around to the local drive thru for something that does.

I've worked in a dozen different fields in the past 30 years and NOT ONE of those positions ever had a smoking restriction. From auto-detailing at age 18 to office work at age 49. (except I own the office now and I set the policy)
I too am at the 2 pack a day threshold, and I drink 10 to 15 cups of coffee everyday, Monday through Friday. I'm in a time sensitive business and the combination of smoking and coffee keeps me sane, and up to pace with the product I offer. I'm very good at what I do.
I drive 50 miles a day; to and from my office and at speeds that would typically thrill small children, cause concern for elderly individuals, and scare the hell outta every single Anti-smoker I've ever met.
I have no idea what my cholesterol level is, nor do I care.
My point is, I'm not afraid of taking risks.
I am afraid however, of where this country is headed, and am making what I believe are practical preparations for whats coming.
I agree with Winstons statement completely;
"I am so utterly disgusted with the political times that we live in that I can't even find a restful place for my eyes to stare into blank space." Well stated Winston.
And I would add that I'm so disgusted with the mass of people that can't see beyond the next installment of American Idol, or can hardly contain themselves in anticipation of their next visit to Wal-Mart, that I find it hard to believe that we continue to exist in any form of cohesive society at all. OR, perhaps this is the very reason why we do continue to exist, becuase no one is paying attention.
The short attention span of the "public" is interrupted only when there is something that impacts these activities directly.
We are a Nation full of spoiled children that routinely become bullies when we don't get our way. It's sad and disheartening to me that we are as a whole, such apathetic hypocrites.
While I don't profess to see the "Big Picture" in it's entirety, I believe I see a lot further down the road than most of the people I know personally, and I simply shrugg when asked why I'm preparing for a disaster that they simply do not see. When they routinely state "That'll never happen here" I no longer bother to debate.
Alarmist?,..maybe. Practical, ..oh yes.
As smoking declines, obesity rises,...Gee, what a surprise.

quote:

Hey Winston-in times such as today, as you so perfectly described-this is time I head off and read Ayn Rand for daily sanity boosts.

I know what you mean OldStudent. Ayn Rand had such powerful feelings regarding individualism that I always get a sense like a path being cleared when I read some of her stuff. It's all so implicit and has the ring of truth in simplicity. For reasons I don't quite understand, people distrust the elegance of simplicity when it comes to themselves, even though they are sometimes able to recognize it when it comes to external things. (I read an Einstein biography recently, and the one thing that people seem to constantly fail to recognize about Einstein is that he arrived at The Theory of Relativity with a focused curiosity, imagination and reason. That's it. For some reason, people add on to this, thinking that he used physics or mathematics in the pure conception of the idea. He did no such thing; rather the physics and mathematics were details to be worked out later, with some help to boot. Simply by expectation, people seem to make it more complicated than it actually was.)

LightningBoy,

I think our likemindedness here speaks for itself.

Like you, I grew into an educated and experienced adult with a good foundation for what the world was about and what would be required of me. I knew, of course, that the world would change, but everything in my life had told me that I had a very good sense of values, if not quite permissive values at that. Also, I grew up with a good range of experience so that little shocked me.

Other than learning a great deal, I haven't changed very much. The world has changed. I can accept that, except for some very relevant details. I am quickly finding myself in a world that has so morally transformed itself that the values I worked hard to understand my whole life are now being manipulated somehow to make me into some kind of social misfit.

My answer is this:

No.

I don't care if every PhD on Earth lines up against me. I don't care if pretty, 25 year old newscasters make faces at my values on national television. I don't care if the #1 show on TV puts a guy like me in a dunking tank every Tuesday night at 8:30PM. I don't care in 1 Billion people with internet access compare people like me to Charles Manson.

I don't have to be a hero. I won't win every debate. I don't have to be perfect. I probably won't be. I'll probably look like a fool.

This isn't about me. This isn't about smoking cigarettes.

Right now, as you know, John McCain is going to be the Republican Nominee for President. Like many, I have serious issues with McCain's politics, and I won't be voting for him. I'll vote for the Libertarian candidate, whoever that is.

I have tremendous respect for John McCain, though. John McCain spent 6 and a a half years contemplating spiders for dinner in a Vietnamese prison cell. The Vietnamese offered him an easy out; he simply had to sign a piece of paper denouncing America for crimes against Vietnam. Under the circumstances, this would have no ultimate meaning, but McCain still would not sign it.

McCain's answer was simple and direct. For my answer to these "politically correct" societal changes, I'll simply quote directly what McCain told the people imprisoning him, the people who could beat and torture him.

At the risk of showing inappropriate decorum for this forum, I'll point out that I'm quoting the words of a man who will possibly be our next president. I think they were, and are, appropriate.

In McCain's own words:

"Fuck You."

Good quote WinstonSmith.

I'm a little less verbal, my usual term is "bite me!"

To me, public health revolves around clean kitchens, rest rooms, and general sanitation. I expect places serving me food have both clean kitchens and bath rooms. I expect government to handle sewers and water treatment.

While I expect this in public places my kitchen and bath room would never pass their inspection.

Well, I'm on board with all of you here. I'm 55 now, been smoking for 40 years. I was a 2 pack-a-day-er, but now that I can't smoke anywhere, I'm down to only 1 to 1.5 packs a day...

I don't give a ratz azz what anyone thinks of me. I don't always like them or their habits either.

I frequently vocalize like Winston AND Smallbird. F**k You and Bite Me are my two favorite replies....

My thought process is on line with LightningBoy's (he's my hero....LOL); and like Bruce I expect clean kitchens and restaurants in publice venues, while at home I am a little lax in those areas........but then, it's just me and my own so that doesn't bother me too much...

As for the rest of the world.........well they can all beg to KMLWA.......

Well said, Lynda! My bathrooms and kitchen would never pass a health department inspection...however, only people that know me and love me will ever come to my house.

For all the rest, stay in your lily-white, anti-bacterial habitats. And you will all be less healthy than I am...

This was posted on the Smoker's Club site and is very interesting: The History of Health

http://www.relfe.com/history_1.html