Obesity levels off, but extreme cases tipping the scales

[waltky]

Yer kid's weight problem may be linked to caesarean delivery...

Caesarean birth might increase obesity risk, says study
Wed, 07 Sep 2016 - Babies born by Caesarean section are more likely to become obese in later years, a large study suggests.

Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers said this might be because babies born vaginally are exposed to healthy gut bacteria that play an important role in regulating diet. The study followed more than 22,000 babies into adulthood. But experts said there were likely to be many different factors at work. These include the diet of the mother, whether she had diabetes during pregnancy and whether the baby was breastfed. Babies born via Caesarean are less likely to be breastfed, and this has been shown to lead to an increased risk of obesity. Children's diets also have an effect on their future weight.

Steady rise

In the UK, about 26% of babies are delivered by Caesarean section - an operation where a cut is made in the tummy and womb to get the baby out. Rates have been rising steadily over the past few years, according to the Royal College of Midwives. In this study, American researchers from Harvard Medical School and other institutions found that babies delivered by Caesarean were 15% more likely to grow up to be obese after adjusting for a number of factors, including the mother's weight and age. In families where children were born by different methods, those born by Caesarean were 64% more likely to be obese than their siblings born by vaginal delivery. But the researchers could not say Caesareans were the cause of obesity or explain the mechanisms behind the link. Their best guess was that differences in gastrointestinal microbiota, or healthy gut bacteria, between babies born by different methods could have an effect.

'Medical necessity'

Microbiota is the term used to describe the microbes that colonise our bodies and which vary from one person to another. They are linked to some diseases but can also be used to treat disease and promote health. A technique called "vaginal seeding" can be used to transfer maternal vaginal fluid - which contains the healthy bacteria - to a baby born by Caesarean but doctors say there could be risks with infection. Dr Simon Cork, research associate in the department of investigative medicine at Imperial College London, said there were many factors to consider in children's risk of obesity - not just their mode of delivery at birth. "Overall, the literature surrounding this area suggests that there may be a link between Caesarean section and obesity. However, this link is neither fully proven nor understood. "Most often Caesarean births are as a result of medical necessity, rather than elective, and as such this risk would outweigh any concerns mothers should have regarding the possibility of future weight issues."

Informed choice

Prof Neena Modi, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said more research was needed to find out whether birth by Caesarean was a cause of obesity. "Caesarean section can be life saving for women and their babies. However many women are now considering Caesarean section where there is no medical indication. "It is important that they are told about the possibility of increased risk of obesity in their children, to help them make an informed birth choice. She added: "It is also important for parents to focus on factors that they can influence which definitely impact on their infant's health. This includes maintaining a healthy weight at the time of conception, and throughout pregnancy. "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37295666

[waltky]

Obesity-Related Cancers Rising...

Obesity-Related Cancers Rising, Threatening Gains in US Cancer Rates
October 03, 2017 — The rates of 12 obesity-related cancers rose by 7 percent from 2005 to 2014, an increase that is threatening to reverse progress in reducing the rate of cancer in the United States, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 630,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with a cancer linked with being overweight or obese in 2014. Obesity-related cancers accounted for about 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States in 2014. Although the overall rate of new cancer diagnoses has fallen since the 1990s, rates of obesity-related cancers have been rising. "Today's report shows in some cancers we're going in the wrong direction," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC said on a conference call with reporters.


According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, 13 cancers are associated with overweight and obesity. They include meningioma, multiple myeloma, adenocarcinoma of the esophagus, and cancers of the thyroid, postmenopausal breast, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus and colon and rectum (colorectal). In 2013-2014, about two out of three U.S. adults were considered overweight or obese. CDC researchers used the U.S. cancer statistics database to see how obesity was affecting cancer rates.

A woman walks along a boardwalk in New York. Lifestyle and lack of access to healthcare have been among the factors attributed to a rise in the mortality rate of white women in the United States.

Although cancer rates rose in 12 of these cancers from 2005 to 2012, colorectal cancer rates fell by 23 percent, helped by increases in screening, which prevents new cases by finding growths before they turn into cancer. Cancers not associated with overweight and obesity fell by 13 percent.


About half of Americans are not aware of this link, according to Schuchat. The findings suggest that U.S. healthcare providers need to make clear to patients the link between obesity and cancer, and encourage patients to achieve a healthy weight. "The trends we are reporting today are concerning," Schuchat said. "There are many good reasons to strive for a healthy weight. Now you can add cancer to the list." She said the science linking cancer to obesity is still evolving, and it is not yet clear whether losing weight will help individuals once cancer has taken root. What is clear is that obesity can raise an individual's risk of cancer, and that risk may be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, Schuchat said.


https://www.voanews.com/a/obesity-re...s/4054850.html

[Trumpster]

Over the past couple of decades there has been a steady increase in the number of high protein diet plans available to the public. The first one I became aware of was the Atkins diet followed by numerous copycat diets. So maybe all these high protein diets have helped people to lose some weight. But although they may have improved some aspects of their health in the short run, high protein diets are not healthy in the long run. So, in my opinion, many overweight people are trading one problem for another. By high protein I mean high in animal protein.

By the way, I don't know of any high protein diet that categorizes itself as "high protein." They either don't say or they try to portray themselves as recommending a normal amount of protein.

[waltky]

Alcohol puts the weight on...

Rise in cancers 'caused by weight'
23 Mar`18 - Being overweight or obese is a growing cause of cancer in the UK while cases caused by smoking are falling, according to a large study.

Cancer Research UK found more than a third of all cases of cancer were avoidable - some 135,000. The charity also found that excess weight now caused 6.3% of all cancer cases - up from 5.5% in 2011 - while smoking as a cause had declined. It said more action was needed to tackle the "health threat" of obesity. Cancer Research UK found the country with the greatest proportion of preventable causes of cancer was Scotland with 41.5%, followed by Northern Ireland on 38%, Wales on 37.8%, and England on 37.3%.

Drinking alcohol was estimated to have caused 3.3% of cancers in the UK

Across the UK, smoking remained by far the leading cause of preventable cancer, although it dropped from 19.4% in 2011 to 15.1%. Second was being overweight or obese, and third was exposure to UV radiation from the sun and sunbeds. The standard way of diagnosing if someone is obese is by calculating their body mass index (BMI). It measures whether you're a healthy weight for your height. A BMI of more than 25 means you're overweight and a BMI of more than 30 means you're classified as obese, although there are some exceptions.

'I felt responsible'

Janet Boak, from Carlisle, was diagnosed with womb cancer at 51, after she noticed spots of blood four years after her menopause. She had a full hysterectomy, which successfully removed the cancer. It was during a subsequent check-up that she was told being obese had contributed to her risk of getting cancer. At the time, she was nearly 20 stone. "I felt like I was responsible for my own downfall," Janet, 55, said. "It stuck in my gut a bit, thinking I could maybe not have been in this position had I sorted my lifestyle out."

Janet Boak was told being obese contributed to her risk of getting cancer

Janet, a grandmother, has since lost nearly seven stone after she cut down on sugar, started cooking healthier meals from fresh ingredients and became more active. Cancer Research UK found overexposure to UV radiation caused about 13,600 cases of melanoma skin cancer a year - or 3.8% of all cancer cases. Other preventable causes of cancer included drinking alcohol and eating too little fibre, it said. However, overall the analysis found the proportion of preventable cases of cancer had fallen - from 42.7% in 2011 to 37.7%.

Cancer Research UK said the figures showed smoking prevention strategies were working, but more work was needed to tackle the growing problem of obesity. Prof Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert, said: "Obesity is a huge health threat right now, and it will only get worse if nothing is done. "The UK government must build on the successes of smoking prevention to reduce the number of weight-related cancers. "Banning junk food TV adverts before the 21:00 GMT watershed is an important part of the comprehensive approach needed."

Prof Mel Greaves, a cancer biologist at the Institute of Cancer Research, in London, said the study was an "endorsement" of the idea that many cancers were potentially preventable. But he said the idea that obesity itself or eating too little fibre "causes" cancer was "somewhat simplistic" and still needed to be explored further. "If obesity could be avoided, the impact on cancer rates is uncertain - but they would almost certainly decline significantly," Prof Greaves said. "Given the currently high rates of obesity in young people, this represents (like cigarette smoking) a major societal challenge beyond the bounds of the medical arena."

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43502144