Weight loss and risk of disease...

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Perriwen
Perriwen Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
One of my big drives to lose weight is trying to drive down my risk of colon cancer. I've had digestive issues for longer than I can remember, and a fair bit of paranoia...but I've got so much to lose (about 150 pounds.)

What I am wondering is...does the risk start lowering immediately with the change of diet and with each pound lost-or does the risk pretty much remain constant until my weight hits the point of 'healthy'?

Replies

  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
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    From what I gathered, about everything non-genetic about cancer is related to time & exposure, a very gradual thing. With +150lbs, I would be more concerned about my heart, blood pressure and glycaemia. Any weight loss with the right food will improve thiem probably much quicker than the cancer risk.
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    edited February 2021
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    Many of us have diets that don't include enough fiber, which is very important for bowel health, my doctor said that if you include more fiber in your diet you will benefit immediately. Also, if you are recommended to get a colonoscopy get one as they will spot any pre-cancerous polyps early and they grow very slowly - like years, so colonoscopies really do save people from bowel cancer, but a lot of us feel reluctant to go for one. Eating a good amount of fiber helps as it can make you feel more satisfied and fuller.
    (Edited due to TMI :) )
  • Perriwen
    Perriwen Posts: 32 Member
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    Fit_Happens_2021 wrote: »
    Many of us have diets that don't include enough fiber, which is very important for bowel health, my doctor said that if you include more fiber in your diet you will benefit immediately. Also, if you are recommended to get a colonoscopy get one as they will spot any pre-cancerous polyps early and they grow very slowly - like years, so colonoscopies really do save people from bowel cancer, but a lot of us feel reluctant to go for one. Eating a good amount of fiber helps as it can make you feel more satisfied and fuller.
    (Edited due to TMI :) )

    Both my parents refused to get them. I'm 34 right now, and given how long my bowel issues have gone on (at least ten years), I highly doubt cancer is the cause given the slow growth. So far, my doc hasn't recommended one. That may change, though.

    And yeah, fiber is a big struggle. Even with my healthier diet, I'm still only getting about 15g a day. I don't know how in the world we're supposed to get 40...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,898 Member
    edited February 2021
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    Perriwen wrote: »
    Fit_Happens_2021 wrote: »
    Many of us have diets that don't include enough fiber, which is very important for bowel health, my doctor said that if you include more fiber in your diet you will benefit immediately. Also, if you are recommended to get a colonoscopy get one as they will spot any pre-cancerous polyps early and they grow very slowly - like years, so colonoscopies really do save people from bowel cancer, but a lot of us feel reluctant to go for one. Eating a good amount of fiber helps as it can make you feel more satisfied and fuller.
    (Edited due to TMI :) )

    Both my parents refused to get them. I'm 34 right now, and given how long my bowel issues have gone on (at least ten years), I highly doubt cancer is the cause given the slow growth. So far, my doc hasn't recommended one. That may change, though.

    And yeah, fiber is a big struggle. Even with my healthier diet, I'm still only getting about 15g a day. I don't know how in the world we're supposed to get 40...

    I eat higher fiber cereal and bread, and foods naturally high in fiber like berries and beans, plus vegetables at least twice per day.

    Make sure to increase fiber SLOWLY, especially since you mentioned digestive issues. Obviously, I don't know the nature of that, but perhaps go easy on raw veggies and/or beans at first. Maybe shoot for 20 g of fiber for a week or two, and increase to 25 after that, etc.

    My mom has IBS and has an easier time digesting soluble fiber than insoluble fiber.

    https://www.healthline.com/health/soluble-vs-insoluble-fiber

    Here are some more ideas:

    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/22-high-fiber-foods
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
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    I eat high fiber options where I can, as kshama said above all those things, plus I use Metamucil daily which is mostly soluble fiber.
    I was having a lot of stomach issues and I began to think I might have IBS, but it was by looking at my logging to see what I had eaten that I finally pinpointed that I had eaten products with lactose when I got stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, etc. I didn't think that could be it, I had never been lactose intolerant, but I learned that we can develop it. As soon as I switched to lactose-free milk, limited my cheese, and switched ice cream for frozen Greek yogurt my symptoms virtually disappeared. Then when I added Metamucil and upped my fiber they completely disappeared.
  • n95girl
    n95girl Posts: 10 Member
    edited February 2021
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    I don't know what you know about a well formulated ketogenic diet (not just bacon and egg and cheese and cream) but a healthy food keto, there are loads of good studies and information out there about cancer needing glucose and ketogenic diet lowers glucose and produces ketones which cancer cannot utilise for its energy source to live or multiply, but we can live well from ketones. Also to dismiss us not eating carbs, we do, we get them from veggies and also our body creates glucose when needed in the liver (gluconeogenesis or new glucose creation) so we don't need huge amounts of carbs our body can only store a small amount as glycogen anyway and when it needs to replenish the stores it will do it via the liver and so no need for high carb as we utilise fat stores as energy predominantly on keto.. Also once you do a healthy ketogenic diet you will lose lots of risk factors including obesity and being overweight and you won't ever look back.

    Personally I have lost 44kg and I think that is about 100lbs just being on keto. That equates to 7 dress sizes. I was in a 22/24 and now I am in a size 10/12. I have kept the weigh totally off for a few years now and I am finally, after many years of being sick, am feeling pretty healthy and that is why I have started building strength and muscle and am back here on MFP to get my protein up to the right amounts for muscle building. I still do keto and have done so for the last 3.5 years. It gave me back my life.

    I had so many health issues it wasn't funny. like high blood pressure, unexplained headaches daily, migraines often, chronic fatigue, high stress levels, insulin resistance etc. After moving to a new location and have been here for over 2 years now I still do not have a local doctor as there is no need for me to even visit one. I don't even get a cold or cold sore anymore as I have built up my immune system and my health.

    I swear by keto done right that is a well formulated ketogenic diet with plenty of green leafy cancer fighting veggies and good quality protein and essential fatty acids add that with bone broths and fermented foods and you have a powerhouse of health being consumed which will build up the gut and immune system and stop feeding bad microbes and build up the healthy good gut flora and microbiome. Can't lose with that and results start happening almost immediately!!!
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
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    Perriwen wrote: »
    One of my big drives to lose weight is trying to drive down my risk of colon cancer. I've had digestive issues for longer than I can remember, and a fair bit of paranoia...but I've got so much to lose (about 150 pounds.)

    What I am wondering is...does the risk start lowering immediately with the change of diet and with each pound lost-or does the risk pretty much remain constant until my weight hits the point of 'healthy'?

    My $.02 - I think the sooner you amend your diet the sooner your body will thank you for it.

    Once you get started- the weight will start to come off .. don’t think of it as a huge number or hurdle .. think of what you can do today to improve your health.

    I’ve lost 2 people to colon cancer .. I know it can be scary... go towards health and do what you can! You got this!!
  • mariamsmb1
    mariamsmb1 Posts: 19 Member
    edited February 2021
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    Over time with dietary changes and weight loss, your risk will go down. The number one thing you can do to decrease colon cancer risk is to increase dietary fiber.

    If insoluble fiber bothers your gut, try soluble fiber as some tolerate this better. Try apples, oatmeal, pears, raspberries, blackberries, beans, which are all great sources of fiber. If you get gassy, increase fiber gradually and even try gas-x.


    What are your gut issues? It would help me answer your question better.

    For most people, colonoscopies are recommended beginning at age 50 unless you have a strong family history of colon cancer at a younger age.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,365 Member
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    n95girl wrote: »
    I don't know what you know about a well formulated ketogenic diet (not just bacon and egg and cheese and cream) but a healthy food keto, there are loads of good studies and information out there about cancer needing glucose and ketogenic diet lowers glucose and produces ketones which cancer cannot utilise for its energy source to live or multiply, but we can live well from ketones. Also to dismiss us not eating carbs, we do, we get them from veggies and also our body creates glucose when needed in the liver (gluconeogenesis or new glucose creation) so we don't need huge amounts of carbs our body can only store a small amount as glycogen anyway and when it needs to replenish the stores it will do it via the liver and so no need for high carb as we utilise fat stores as energy predominantly on keto.. Also once you do a healthy ketogenic diet you will lose lots of risk factors including obesity and being overweight and you won't ever look back.

    Some cancers do utilize glucose, some don't. The statement that not eating carbs will starve and prevent cancer is total nonsense. And just for reference, the average person stores around 100g of glucose in the liver and around 400 grams in the muscles - I would not consider 500g of glucose to be a small amount.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2636990/#:~:text=In postabsorptive humans, there are,of liver and muscle glycogen.

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