Excessive weight is a risk factor for cancer. At least 6 types of cancer are believed to be directly affected by being overweight or obese. According to the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, excess weight causes approximately 49% of endometrial, 35% of esophageal, 28% of pancreatic, 24% of kidney, 17% of breast and 9% of colon cancers. Nevertheless, research suggests weight-loss procedures like gastric bypass surgery significantly reduce the risk of developing or dying from cancer. Considering one-third of Americans are overweight and one-third are obese, this is a "weighty" issue.
Supposedly people on diets appropriate for their genetic makeup lose more weight. After being tested for mutations in 3 metabolism-related genes, approximately 140 overweight or obese women were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 diets - low carb, low fat, very low fat and balanced. After a year those women on diets appropriate for their genetic makeup lost 5.3% of body weight. Those on inappropriate diets lost 2.3%. It seems 45% of white Americans have a low-carb genotype, 39% have a low fat genotype and 16% have a combined low fat/low carb genotype. Knowing the appropriate diet for your genes seems like "geneus".
On a typical diet middle-aged women need to exercise an hour daily to prevent weight gain. A study published in JAMA tracked more than 34,000 women - average age 54 - for 13 years. Those women who exercised less than an hour or were already a little overweight couldn't maintain their weight without increasing exercise and decreasing calories. According to the study's authors, the 150 minutes of weekly exercise recommended in the 2008 federal guidelines help lower the risk of chronic diseases. However, it's not enough to prevent weight gain without calorie restriction. Suddenly calorie restriction doesn't seem so restrictive.
Then there's the survey done by Brigham and Women's Hospital that said women who drink may gain less weight. Almost 20,000 women were asked about their drinking habits over a 13-year period. According to the survey, all the women gained weight; but those who were light to moderate drinkers - consuming 1-2 units of alcohol daily - gained less weight then those who didn't drink alcohol. Those who drank wine - as opposed to beer or spirits - gained the least. Although the reasons for this aren't known, it seems calories from alcohol don't "lie in weight" as previously thought.
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