“Growing Number Of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight”

Clio Dakolias

AP Bio

Mr. Ippolito

March 26, 2017

CE 20

Adamson, Allan. “Growing Number Of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight.” Tech Times, 26 Mar. 2018, www.techtimes.com/articles/223715/20180326/growing-number-of-cancer-cases-caused-by-excess-weight.htm.

For Current Event 20, I chose to review an article from the Tech Times titled “Growing Number of Cancer Cases Caused By Excess Weight,” by Allan Adamson. Researchers have recently found that excess weight is now responsible for 6.3 percent of all cancer cases in the United Kingdom, a number that has risen 5.5 percent since 2011 (in only 7 years). While smoking remains a leading cause of cancer, the number of cases linked to tobacco use is falling, and the number caused by excess weight is growing. Weight problems are often preventable through a healthy diet and regular physical exercise, but many countries, including the United States, are currently facing an obesity epidemic. Those who are obese and have unhealthy eating and physical activity habits face a number of health issues, which include: an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, gallstones, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, and sleep apnea. The study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, provided evidence that excess weight is a growing risk factor for cancer, but this information is not new. Obesity has long been associated with higher odds for bowel cancer, breast cancer, and womb cancer. Obesity is not the only preventable risk factor for cancer, some of which include smoking, UV radiation, eating too little fiber, drinking alcohol, and outdoor air pollution. Katrina Brown, from Cancer Research UK, stated in the study: “Changing population-level exposure to modifiable risk factors is a key driver of changing cancer incidence.” The researchers found that over 135,000 cases could have been prevented through lifestyle changes.

Obesity is a growing issue in the United States- recent findings have stated that more and more American adults are getting fatter, and the obesity epidemic is growing worse. Knowing that obesity has such undesirable implications such as cancer. While the study mentioned in the article was based in the UK, a 2016 study summarizing worldwide estimates of the fractions of different cancers attributable to obesity reported that the US had the highest fractions attributable to obesity for colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and postmenopausal breast cancer. It is important to note that many studies have displayed consistent evidence that those adults with a lower weight gain have lower risks for many types of cancer. As our country continues to report a growing obesity rate, it is important to understand that obesity has many risks and dangers, which can lead to death. Maintaining a healthy diet and constantly exercising throughout your life is important so as not to fall overweight, because it is preventable (when not related to genetics).

The author, Adamson, did a great job with this article and topic. She cited sources, including the study itself and key contributors to the initial report. Grammatically and topically, the article was very well written, and it flowed nicely, making it an interesting read. There was no urgency to the article, no indication that the topic was important. In some cases, it is important to write articles solely based on facts, but in important topics such as this, it can be more beneficial if the author displays a passion for the topic, which would have added something to the article that seemed to be missing, and made the reader want to care about the topic as well. Overall, the article was well written, and very informative.