Diabesity & Cancer

Jacquelyn Johnston, M. Ed. Diabesity Coach

Obesity so often heralds diabetes that when you speak of one, you might as well speak of the other. This is why the word “Diabesity” was coined in the ‘Nineties.

Did you hear about the research out of Europe today? Being overweight could become the leading cause of cancer in women in Western countries in the not-too-distant future. As if the current diabesity epidemic weren’t enough, we have the unsavoury thought of cancer being yet another routine accompaniment to diabetes.

Want the stats?

As far back as 2002, 35 out of every 1000 cancers could be attributed to obesity. Only 6 years on, in 2008, the number had climbed to 62 out of every 1000. If you go to the free downloadable report to the right of this blog you will get an idea why.

Whether it’s cancer or arthritis, kidney disease, early Alzheimer’s or knee issues, we know that diabesity loves company.

Do your knees hurt when you go down stairs? Do you get out of breath easily, even if you’re not running? You probably need to lose twenty pounds fairly soon. You might say you haven’t been diagnosed. With all the information available on the Net today you will surely have heard of metabolic syndrome, formerly called Syndrome X. That is an indicator that full-blown diabetes could be lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce.

There is so much in the news about H1N1 these days. It’s been hyped in the media more than the more glaring, real epidemic of obesity in the G8 countries, and indeed worldwide. They’ve got a lot of people scared out of their wits, when the real scare is staring us in the face every day—just take a trip down to the local mall and you’ll see what I mean.

I was behind an obviously obese man in the lineup at the local corner store a couple of days ago. He would have been a lot more comfortable (not to mention safer) if he had shed twenty pounds. What was he buying? Three packs of cigarettes. In the process of paying for them he dropped a quarter, which lodged itself between his shoes. He looked down but couldn’t see it, as is often the case of obese people who can’t see their toes. When I told him where it was he stepped aside and I picked it up for him.

As he left the store he reminded me of that ad you see on TV where a self-propelled gurney doggedly shadows a guy in and out of buildings, down the street and through the traffic.

And that, my friends, is the real epidemic facing us today. For some, they have to be in that gurney, hooked up to drips and awaiting an emergency operation before they take action. Please don’t be one of them. Call me if you want to know what to do.

Cheers,

Jacquelyn