How portion control can help you
Body Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your risk for many types of cancer, including breast, colon, uterine and liver cancers.
Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your risk for many types of cancer, including breast, colon, uterine and liver cancers.
Only 25% of adults in the United States are a healthy body weight. And the link between body weight and cancer is clear. Research shows that if you fall into the overweight or obese categories, you are at higher risk for more than 10 cancers.
Researchers aren't exactly sure why high body weight increases the risk of cancer. It's likely because excess weight causes hormonal changes and inflammation that make cells multiply more rapidly than normal. The more cells multiply, the more likely it is that there will be a mistake that results in uncontrolled growth and cancer. Three factors that cause cells to multiply more quickly are:
- Inflammation. Excess weight causes a build-up of visceral fat, which is the fat that surrounds your organs. That low oxygen environment in visceral fat triggers inflammation, which causes cells to multiply.
- Insulin resistance. Inflammation can also stop your body from responding to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. If you become insulin resistant, your body will produce more insulin and that can cause cells to multiply more quickly.
- Increased estrogen. Fat cells in men and women make estrogen, and estrogen also causes cells to multiply more quickly.
Are you a healthy weight?
One way to find out if you are a healthy weight is to determine your body mass index. You can calculate your BMI using a BMI calculator. Your results will put you in one of four categories: underweight, normal, overweight or obese.
BMI Calculator
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool to help you determine if you are a healthy weight. Fill out the fields below to get your BMI.
BMI | Classification |
---|---|
18 or less | Underweight |
19 - 24 | Healthy |
25 - 29 | Overweight |
30+ | Obese |
Your BMI indicates that you are underweight. Talk to your doctor about ways to maintain a healthy weight. No matter what your weight is, eating a plant-based diet and staying physically active can reduce your risk for cancer.
Your BMI is in the normal range. If you have questions or concerns about your BMI or maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor. No matter what your weight is, eating a plant-based diet and staying physically active can reduce your risk for cancer.
Your BMI is in the overweight range. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. You can take steps to maintain a healthy weight.
Your BMI is in the obese range. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. You can take steps to maintain a healthy weight.
BMI is not the only way to see if you are carrying too much body fat. You can also measure your waist circumference. The amount of extra weight around your belly correlates to the amount of visceral fat you have around your organs.
Whichever you choose, be sure to talk with your doctor. They can take into account other factors that may affect your health.
How to maintain a healthy weight
Losing weight is not easy. However, if you can maintain a healthy weight, you will improve your quality of life and reduce your risk for diseases like cancer.
Here are three important strategies:
Cut out empty calories
Empty calories are calories in foods that don't have any nutritional value. Usually your body has no choice but to store these calories as fat. For example, foods like cookies and cake contain an excess of fat and sugar, without any of the vitamins, minerals or fiber that your body needs.
Empty calories can also be found in foods that seem healthy, like whole wheat bread and yogurt. It's important to check nutrition labels and if you see added sugar, choose an alternative. To avoid empty calories, stick to whole foods including vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins. These foods will give you the fat and natural sugar you need, without the extra calories that your body will store as weight gain.
Control portions
It's easier to maintain a healthy weight if you eat the right portion sizes. This can be hard to do because portions in restaurants and in packaged foods can have multiple servings. Learn the recommended serving size for common foods so you don't overeat. You can use a chart or even your hand to get the right serving size. Try not to confuse servings with portions. A portion is the number of servings you give yourself.
Stay physically active
Eating fewer calories is most effective when it comes to weight loss, but physical activity can help prevent you from gaining the weight back. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. You can split this up throughout the week, and do it in increments as short as 10 minutes.
Every minute counts. Make sure you are reaching moderate or vigorous levels by paying attention to your breath. If you can talk but not sing, you are doing moderate exercise. If you can say a few words but not hold a conversation, you are doing vigorous exercise. You should also do weight training exercises twice a week to build and maintain lean muscle mass.
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