June Hunter of Reno has a personal connection to this story. Out of the blue, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer 4 years ago. As she told me, "What I've learned, is helping others helps me really recover." Preventing cancer was the cause behind a conference in Reno today (Monday), uniting St. Mary's Hospital, the American Cancer Society and several other health experts.
While tobacco use has long been the top risk factor for cancer, new findings now show that 18% of all cancers are caused by this combination: Being overweight, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption and poor nutrition.
The emphasis at the Reno forum was the weight issue. 7 in 10 adults, and 1 in 3 youths in the U.S. are overweight or obese…more than double the rate from just 20 years ago. Excess body weight is now linked to 13 different cancers, and the odds are too high to begin with. As Cindy Roragen with the Cancer Action Network told us, "Cancer affects all of us in one way or another. Directly, 1 in 2 men will get cancer in their lifetime, and 1 in 3 women."
Coincidentally, another new study just out today from the American Medical Association says those who frequently eat organic foods lower their risk of developing cancer, and are more likely to ward off lymphoma and breast cancer. Cassie Goodman who is a medical exercise supervisor at Saint Mary’s Fitness Center said, “That’s because organic foods are not going to be processed. So if we can avoid those processed foods and the high refined sugars, you're going to have a lower risk of obesity and therefore a lower risk of cancer."
And it's never too late. Good nutrition and an active lifestyle can put Nevadans of any age on a healthy path that prevents cancer. The American Cancer Society’s June Hunter says that “Even during an after-cancer treatment, you can still have an active lifestyle and eat healthy."
But Cassie says an early start is even better, which is why they want state lawmakers to increase K-12 physical education: "We've got to teach them at a young age. That's when you really develop habits, and we need to be instilling healthy habits among our youth as early as possible." Cindy Roragen added, “We will be talking to our state elected leaders about physical education with youth. All of these risk factors reduce your chances of getting cancer, and they help your outcome during treatment of cancer."
These are the physical education standards they want in Nevada: at least 150 minutes a week in elementary schools, and 225 minutes per week for middle and high schools.
