Cancer and obesity, plus my boring visit to the doc.

*Sigh* It didn't go so well at the doctor's, but it wasn't awful. I didn't realize that I'd lost so much weight since my last visit (in clothes/shoes). I was 103! two months ago, and 97 yesterday--six pounds in two months. I'm not complaining, mind you, but he wasn't happy. He asked me if I was still seeing my mental health people and I said yes. He replied, "That's good, except that they don't seem to be doing much for you." I told him not to blame them too much; that while my therapist was clueless, the psychiatrist was trying. I was the one at fault. He didn't say anything. He wanted to do a variety of blood work since I've been anemic for around two years
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My blood tests showed that my electrolytes, while low, were still within normal limits, so I didn't have to go back on potassium. However, my continual anemia was much worse. He says that, plus excessive diarrhea, are probably the cause of my fatigue. He also thinks the malabsorption is responsible for some of my weight loss, which is logical. So I'm back on iron tablets for now (other stuff if it gets even worse again) and a med for intestinal trouble. He also thinks that one of the meds I take for my nausea from the chronic migraines could be causing the GI distress, so I had to go off that cold turkey. I sure hope something helps. I was nauseated all day without it, and had to dose myself with a migraine abortifacient twice today. Not pleasant--a painful day.

Otherwise, everything is fine. LOL. I know that all that was too much information, and not the most elevating of topics to boot (diarrhea), but if you want to know what poor nutrition will bring you, just look at my diet. I'll let Ice Queen, Karen, and Twix tell you about my hair, skin, and nails. What a mess.

Now for serious stuff.

An area I wanted to know more about was the constant mention of the relationship between obesity and cancer. I've known about the elevated risk in women for breast cancer for years, but was surprised at the constant reference to cancer as a generic disease as it relates to obesity in men and women. This is from Weight in America: etc.

"Overweight increases the risk of developing several types of cancer, including cancers of the colon, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, liver, and prostate, as well as uterine. . . and postmenopausal breast cancer. Excessive weight gain during adult life increases the risk for several of these cancers.

. . .a gain of more than twenty pounds from age eighteen to midlife doubles a woman's risk of breast cancer, and even more modest weight gains are associated with increased risk. . . The IARC also asserted that obesity increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women by as much as 40%."

Other relative, but significant risks between obesity and cancer showed up in colorectal cancer among premenopausal women and all men; pancreatic cancer, especially those who had a tendency to gain abdominal weight, and AML (acute myelogenous leukemia). It's completely unknown how obesity would increase any risk, recurrence or mortality. Perhaps it's eating habits, such as a high-fat, high calorie, diet, or physical inactivity, that actually increase it. Thus one of the healthier obese people we've talked about, who eat a highly nutritious diet and are very active, wouldn't have the risk levels as the unhealthier ones.

One recent finding, off the subject, which has been intriguing me is the relationship between obesity and lack of sleep. It's felt that the hormone leptin, which regulates appetite, is reduced when there's a lack of sleep. Here are the stats: People who got less than four hours of sleep a night were 73% more likely to be obese. "People who averaged five hours of sleep had 50% greater risk, and those who got six hours had 23% greater risk of obesity." It doesn't hurt to get more sleep, and if there's the remote possibility that it can help dieters and maintainers to keep losing or maintaining, I think it's worth trying for. We all know the important role that sleep plays in memory, clarity of thought, alertness, and concentration. Isn't that enough to force us to go to bed earlier? (Apparently not. I never get enough sleep and my brain and memory can be quite fuzzy as a result.)

There's more, but I think you get the drift. Certainly some kinds of breast cancer are related to increased female hormones, which are elevated in obese women. But it doesn't say if the breast cancer they're talking about is estrogen/progesterone dependent or negative. Just as certainly, other environmental factors and genetic ones are at least as responsible for developing breast cancer as far as they know now. Since there are several different types of breast cancer, we can't make any leap until more information is gathered. However, it's a frightening and potentially lethal disease which we should try to avoid if at all possible. While lung cancer still beats breast cancer in mortality rates among women, that's primarily because lung cancer is deadlier at close to a 100% mortality rate, whereas breast cancer is around 50/50.

Let's be careful to recognize that these are statistical relationships only. No one is saying that obesity causes pancreatic cancer. However, the stats are highly correlated with each other, thus very much deserving of further inquiry.

Okay. I'm starting to get yet another migraine at this time of night--uncommon for me--so I'll sign off and just read. Eat nutritiously, sleep right, stick to your diet plans, and I'll see you tomorrow.