Obesity increases your cancer risk (even if you are a non-smoker)!

Telegraph.co.uk: Obesity has become the main cause of cancer in non-smokers, a global conference will hear next week.

The World Cancer Research Fund has spent five years collecting information about the effect bodyweight, diet and physical activity has on the risk of developing cancer and will present its findings on Thursday.

Smoking is still the single biggest cause of cancers, accounting for one third of the 300,000 cases in the UK each year.

But only one quarter of people smoke and research has found that for non-smokers being overweight or obese is the most important avoidable cause of cancer. In the UK, 12,000 people a year could avoid cancer if they maintained a healthy weight, according to Cancer Research UK.

Obesity is known to cause between nine and 15 per cent of breast cancers – more than defective genes.

A recent study found women who have gone through the menopause and are obese increase their risk of developing breast cancer by a third.

Obesity is known to increase the risk of cancer by raising the level of hormones such as oestrogen, which feeds many breast cancers.

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Breast Thermography – A new tool for early detection of breast cancer!

Breast Thermography or Digital Infrared Imaging is a technique that is based on the principle that metabolic activity and vascular circulation in both pre-cancerous tissue and the area surrounding a developing breast cancer is almost always higher than in normal breast tissue. In an ever-increasing need for nutrients, cancerous tumors increase circulation to their cells by holding open existing blood vessels, opening dormant vessels, and creating new ones. This process frequently results in an increase in regional surface temperatures of the breast. DII uses ultra-sensitive medical infrared cameras and sophisticated computers to detect, analyze, and produce high-resolution diagnostic images of these temperature variations. Because of DII’s extreme sensitivity, these temperature variations may be among the earliest signs of breast cancer and/or a pre-cancerous state of the breast. (Source: http://www.breastthermography.com/breast_thermography_mf.htm)

This technique is FDA approved, non-invasive, non-radioactive and painless and can help in detecting breast cancer much earlier than other established techniques like mammography. This news story from CBS News talks in detail about ‘Breast Thermography’ and the need for women to know more about this new technology.