The uncontrolled growth of cells in any part of the body is cancer. It is a group of disease. Cancer kills millions of people every year in our world. Few can be curable if diagnosed in the early stages. We can do a lot to minimize the risk of cancer. The hereditary risk factor is only about 5% to 10%. The rest comes from our lifestyle, diet and environment. We see here the many ways to reduce the cancer risks.

During the last 20 years the percentage of overweight and obese children and adults has been steadily increasing in our world. Good/Bad and excess food and lack of physical activity are the main reason for this problem. It is well established that overweight and obesity are risk factors for high blood pressure, high triglycerides, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Apart from this, overweight and obesity are risk factors for certain cancers and they include:

• Breast (postmenopausal)
• Endometrium (cancer of the uterus lining)
• Gallbladder (in women)
• Kidney (in women)
• Colon (in men)
• Esophagus


There are many ways to have a look about your weight whether it is normal or not. Many follow the BMI and the guidelines for adults from age 20 are:

<18.5>30.0 obese

BMI = weight in kg/square of height in meters

The other easy way to know about your weight is:

Height in cm – 100 = normal weight
Normal weight – 10% normal weight = ideal weight

It is not advisable to have less than ideal weight as ideal weight – 10% normal weight = the dangerous model weight, that is simply skin and bones only.

Another very important factor is the waist circumference. Waist is the place where the reserve fat is deposited and this is a great risk factor. The recent research shows that Waist-to-height-ratio (WHtR) gives more information about the risk of heart attack and stroke. It is easy to calculate. Measure your waist circumference around your navel in cm and divide this with your height in cm to get the Waist-to-height-ratio. For example, your waist circumference is 85 cm and your height is 170 cm. 85/170 = 0.5

The reference ratios are:

Below 40 years – less than 0.5
Between 40 and 50 years – between 0.5 and 0.6
Above 50 years – around 0.6

Avoid or reduce the intake of processed food, fast food and junk food. Excess fat and carbohydrates must be avoided. Vegetables, fruits, whole grain products, nuts, seeds and legumes must be always a part of your food.

Physical activities are very important to keep the normal weight. Normal weight not only reduces the risks for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes but also the cancers.

Consult with your dietician and select the right foods for you. Get the advice of your dieticians often if it is necessary.