Cancer is the dreaded disease that often seems to strike at random, and which requires extensive and painful efforts to treat. But is it completely random, or can we predict with some accuracy which of us will someday develop a form of cancer?

The answer is a mixture of both. We do know some of the factors that can raise a person’s risk of cancer. Therefore, you can work to get these factors under control if you want to cut your cancer risk. But like most biological processes, we’re still learning about cancer, so nothing is guaranteed.

We know that if you take the following four steps, your risk of developing cancer declines significantly:

• Stop smoking
• Eliminate or stricly limit your alcohol consumption
• Eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh produce
• Lose weight if you’re considered obese

We can help with that last point. While the research isn’t conclusive, it is believed that carrying excess body weight throws hormones out of balance. And when hormones are unbalanced, bodily processes don’t necessarily work like they’re supposed to. In animal studies, hormonal imbalances have been linked to the development of cancer.

In fact, obesity has been shown to raise the risk of the following cancers by as much as 40 percent:

• breast cancer
• pancreatic cancer
• cancer of the gallbladder
• kidney cancer
• cancer of the bowels
• uterine cancer
• esophageal cancer

While you can’t control your genetics (also thought to be another contributing factor) you can control your habits and diet. Not only can reducing your weight lower your cancer risk; many of the healthy foods we recommend on a medical weight loss diet can also fight cancer. Fresh produce like tomatoes, kale, berries, and broccoli contain powerful antioxidants that help to repair damage in the cells of your body. Eating a diet high in nutritious fruits and vegetables, while reducing your weight, could help you to ward off many dieases including cancer.

For more on the medical weight loss diet, give us a call to schedule an appointment. We will offer you a thorough exam and screen you for weight-related health problems before prescribing you a program to change your weight and life.