Cancer – Many diseases, one cause?

Everybody knows that smoking is a major cause of cancer. Yet, according to research published in the British Journal of Public Health, obese adults have more chronic health problems than their smoking counterparts, some of which greatly increase their risk of cancer.

Many diseases, one cause?

The fact remains that more than thirty known diseases are now believed to be directly linked to excess body fat, including heart disease, diabetes, periodontal disease, inflammation³, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, infertility, and many cancers (including gastrointestinal, colon, kidney, esophagus, prostate, breast and endometrial, among others).

Over the last several years, more and more scientists have come to accept that there is an ever growing link between obesity and cancer. According to Dr. Graham Colditz, epidemiology professor at Harvard School of Public Health, “Given the trends in obesity and the increasing evidence of a broad range of cancers caused by excess energy balance, the projected burden of cancer over the coming years is worrisome.”

Cancer, obesity and insulin

One of the primary centers of concern when it comes to the accumulation of body fat is its association to high insulin levels, a condition often referred to as hyperinsulinemia. Aside from discovering that high insulin levels increased the incidence of obesity in prepubescent girls, researchers from Columbia University also found that hyperinsulinemia precedes the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes by 5-20 years.

So what does this have to do with cancer?

Well aside from the apparent connection between high insulin levels and obesity, it turns out that numerous cancers may also be linked with high levels of insulin.

Israeli researchers have discovered that patients suffering from colon, stomach and breast cancer had up to three times as much insulin, or insulin-like substances in their tumors. Hyperinsulinemia is often associated with insulin resistance, the condition where body cells resist or do not respond to even high levels of insulin. Turkish researchers have discovered a possible means in which obesity and insulin create an enhanced risk for breast cancer. The researchers indicated that in overweight and obese patients, both inflammatory messengers (possibly coming from fat cells) and high insulin levels, work synergistically to contribute to the development of breast cancer.

It is no wonder why cancer is at epidemic proportions when you consider that most people consume an abundance of overly processed high-glycemic foods that over stimulate insulin and in the process place our metabolisms into fat storage mode. When insulin levels are always elevated it is almost impossible for the body to dip into its fat reserves for energy–instead opting to store, store and store some more!

The main reason for this is because high insulin levels stimulate an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), which greatly affects the way fat is stored in the body. Obesity researchers sometimes call LPL the gatekeeper of fat storage due to its powerful ability to enhance fat cell expansion.

Research presented in the journal Medical Hypothesis shows that low-glycemic, vegetables, along with a high fibre and high protein diet lower LPL activity. It would thereby stand to reason that if you reduce insulin through diet (not dieting), you can ultimately control the rate of fat storage, which would theoretically decrease your risk of obesity and cancer.

Get the sugar under control and you’re on your way to Good Health!

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