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Technically, you are not overweight, but you are a woman over 50 with a few extra pounds around the waist. According to a new and credible study, you are more numerous than cancer. The problem comes from the fat around some of your vital organs, and alcohol may not help.
The study, published in the prestigious magazine Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), finds that women over 50 who are considered "normal weight" but whose waist is more than 34.6 inches have an increased risk of developing cancer, as well as others dangerous health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. In particular, women whose weight was normal but who had this belly fat were about 20% more likely to die of cancer than women whose weight was normal without belly fat.
RELATED: 10 things you need to know if you're young and have a few extra pounds
Years of compound evidence have linked obesity to a number of cancers, including colorectal cancer, bad cancer, uterine cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others .
The researchers however defined obesity as a function of body mbad index ("BMI") for most of these earlier studies. Technically, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is a "normal weight", a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is "overweight" and a BMI greater than 30 is an "obese".
RELATED: The role of diet and exercise in cancer risk
But as the new study shows, it is possible to have a "normal" BMI overall while retaining excess belly fat. The researchers described this condition as "central obesity" and pointed out that it was widespread, especially in the United States (in 2012, more than a third of people in the United States had "a size-to-size ratio unhealthy ")
RELATED: The link between obesity and prostate cancer
Why Does belly fat increase the risk of cancer?
Although researchers still do not know much about body fat and cancer risk, one thing make know is that the fat that accumulates in the waist region is a type of fat called "visceral fat".
Visceral fat, that is, the fat that surrounds your vital organs, is more dangerous than the fat that accumulates around, for example, your limbs. Indeed, too much visceral fat can cause inflammation of these organs, which can eventually lead to cancer.
RELATED: Cutting "pro-inflammatory" foods from your diet can reduce cancer risk
Fat cells can also affect your body's hormones, said Dr. Elizabeth Comen, Breast Cancer Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and SurvivorNet Medical Advisor.
"We know that when women are overweight, they can have a state of inflammation in their bodies," said Dr. Comen. "Some of these fat cells can produce estrogen, and we know that exposure to too much estrogen over the course of a woman 's life can dramatically increase her risk. of bad cancer. "
Older women may need to be very careful with belly fat
The more than 150,000 women enrolled in this new study were all menopausal.
This is an important detail because the hormonal changes that women undergo during menopause can cause their body to store more fat at the waist than other areas.
"For menopausal women, lower estrogen levels can change the way your body stores fat," MD Anderson Cancer Center doctors wrote in an article on belly fat and weight loss. the risk of cancer. "Instead of storing fat in your hips and thighs, you can see more fat in your abdomen. This excess of abdominal fat can disrupt your hormones and increase your risk of bad and uterine cancers. "
Dr. Elizabeth Comen of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center told SurvivorNet that diet and exercise can reduce your risk of cancer.
Simple changes can help you reduce your belly fat and your risk of cancer, even if you have a "normal weight".
If you are an older woman and feel that your pants are tight, do not be discouraged – you will not automatically get a cancer diagnosis if you have a few inches more around your waist.
Plus, you can make some simple changes to reduce your size. Doctors know, for example, that simple sugars and alcohol are particularly likely to cause belly fat. So you can reduce them and eventually replace them with nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
RELATED: Sugar, Western Diet and Cancer Prevention
Moderate exercises, including abdominal weight training, can also help.
"Exercise does not mean you're running a triathlon or doing anything you've never done before," said Dr. Comen, adding that she often asked her patients make?"
RELATED: Exercise Can Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer
"Do you like to dance, but you really do not want to go to this Zumba clbad because you're afraid to embarrbad it? Well, maybe you can listen to music at home and have a dance party. "
Learn more about the rigorous medical review process of SurvivorNet.
Caroline Hopkins is a writer for SurvivorNet. Read more
Technically, you are not overweight, but you are a woman over 50 with a few extra pounds around the waist. According to a new and credible study, you are more numerous than cancer. The problem comes from the fat around some of your vital organs, and alcohol may not help.
The study, published in the prestigious magazine Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), finds that women over 50 who are considered "normal weight" but whose waist is more than 34.6 inches have an increased risk of developing cancer, as well as others dangerous health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. In particular, women whose weight was normal but who had this belly fat were about 20% more likely to die of cancer than women whose weight was normal without belly fat.
READ MORE
RELATED: 10 things you need to know if you're young and have a few extra pounds
Years of compound evidence have linked obesity to a number of cancers, including colorectal cancer, bad cancer, uterine cancer, esophageal cancer, kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others .
The researchers however defined obesity as a function of body mbad index ("BMI") for most of these earlier studies. Technically, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is a "normal weight", a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is "overweight" and a BMI greater than 30 is an "obese".
RELATED: The role of diet and exercise in cancer risk
But as the new study shows, it is possible to have a "normal" BMI overall while retaining excess belly fat. The researchers described this condition as "central obesity" and pointed out that it was widespread, especially in the United States (in 2012, more than a third of people in the United States had "a size-to-size ratio unhealthy ")
RELATED: The link between obesity and prostate cancer
Why Does belly fat increase the risk of cancer?
Although researchers still do not know much about body fat and cancer risk, one thing make know is that the fat that accumulates in the waist region is a type of fat called "visceral fat".
Visceral fat, that is, the fat that surrounds your vital organs, is more dangerous than the fat that accumulates around, for example, your limbs. Indeed, too much visceral fat can cause inflammation of these organs, which can eventually lead to cancer.
RELATED: Cutting "pro-inflammatory" foods from your diet can reduce cancer risk
Fat cells can also affect your body's hormones, said Dr. Elizabeth Comen, Breast Cancer Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and SurvivorNet Medical Advisor.
"We know that when women are overweight, they can have a state of inflammation in their bodies," said Dr. Comen. "Some of these fat cells can produce estrogen, and we know that exposure to too much estrogen over the course of a woman 's life can dramatically increase her risk. of bad cancer. "
Older women may need to be very careful with belly fat
The more than 150,000 women enrolled in this new study were all menopausal.
This is an important detail because the hormonal changes that women undergo during menopause can cause their body to store more fat at the waist than other areas.
"For menopausal women, lower estrogen levels can change the way your body stores fat," MD Anderson Cancer Center doctors wrote in an article on belly fat and weight loss. the risk of cancer. "Instead of storing fat in your hips and thighs, you can see more fat in your abdomen. This excess of abdominal fat can disrupt your hormones and increase your risk of bad and uterine cancers. "
Dr. Elizabeth Comen of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center told SurvivorNet that diet and exercise can reduce your risk of cancer.
Simple changes can help you reduce your belly fat and your risk of cancer, even if you have a "normal weight".
If you are an older woman and feel that your pants are tight, do not be discouraged – you will not automatically get a cancer diagnosis if you have a few inches more around your waist.
Plus, you can make some simple changes to reduce your size. Doctors know, for example, that simple sugars and alcohol are particularly likely to cause belly fat. So you can reduce them and eventually replace them with nuts, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
RELATED: Sugar, Western Diet and Cancer Prevention
Moderate exercises, including abdominal weight training, can also help.
"Exercise does not mean you're running a triathlon or doing anything you've never done before," said Dr. Comen, adding that she often asked her patients make?"
RELATED: Exercise Can Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer
"Do you like to dance, but you really do not want to go to this Zumba clbad because you're afraid to embarrbad it? Well, maybe you can listen to music at home and have a dance party. "
Learn more about the rigorous medical review process of SurvivorNet.
Caroline Hopkins is a writer for SurvivorNet. Read more
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