International Cancer Day stood for "healthy and active childhood"

One billion adults in the world are overweight. About 40 million teenagers suffer from obesity * According to data from the International Cancer Organization, fats have a greater risk of developing breast, kidney, colon, and cervical cancer

One billion adults in the world are overweight. About 40 million teenagers suffer from obesity. Data published by the Cancer Society on the occasion of International Cancer Day, which is celebrated today by the UICC, the International Cancer Organization, shows that one out of every 10 children in the world and about 30% of children in Israel are overweight or obese. In the Middle East: one in 4 suffers from obesity, this year International Cancer Day is marked by "healthy and active childhood".

International Cancer Day is dedicated each year to a new message designed to prevent cancer and promote the goals of the Cancer War Convention initiated by the International Cancer Organization. This year's message is to parents: a correct "energy balance" will reduce the risk of your children developing cancer later in life. Energy balance is actually the balance between energy intake through eating and drinking and energy expenditure through physical activity. A positive imbalance leads to excess weight and obesity. Obesity and excess weight can lead to cancer. Encourage your children to eat a balanced diet and exercise.

More than 7 million people die from cancer each year worldwide and approximately 11 million new cases are diagnosed each year. According to the forecast based on the current situation - in 2020, about 15 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed every year, and about 12 million people will die from the disease.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing dramatically among adults and children worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, one billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million of them are really fat. It is estimated that one out of every 10 teenagers is overweight. Of these, 30-45 million are classified as obese, that is, about 2-3% of all children in the world aged 5-17.

The data from Israel are similar: from a recently published study, conducted by Dr. Yair Ben David from the Soroka Hospital, it was found that between 20% and 30% of 6- to 10-year-olds in Israel are overweight or obese. Studies show that the risk is high that they will become obese adults.

The researchers of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF 2007) estimate that 30-40% of cancer cases, or equivalently 3 to 4 million new cancer cases every year, can be prevented by appropriate nutrition, regular physical activity and avoiding obesity.

Various studies show that the higher the excess weight, the greater the risk. For example, for every increase of 5 points in BMI (weight/height in meters squared) - the risk of getting kidney cancer doubles. And the chance of developing uterine cancer increases 1.5 times. About 25% of kidney cancer cases, and about 39% of uterine cancer, are due to obesity. 11% of colon cancer cases, and 9% of breast cancer cases, are due to obesity.

Over the years there has been a deterioration in the energy balance of the population. The reasons for this are combined: the convenience and ease of obtaining food high in calories but low in its nutritional qualities, the increase in the rate of occupations that do not require physical activity, the development of devices that save manpower, entertainment based on passive viewing of the screen, all of which result in people burning less energy during their normal day.

"In order to impart correct life habits, the target is children," says Miri Ziv, CEO of the Association to Fight Cancer. "However, in order to influence them, the adults must set a good example. Parents or policy makers, who are responsible for the sources of food and the amount of physical activity required in the children's daily lives, should behave accordingly and encourage the eating of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meat and whole grains and at the same time encourage active activity. In children, there is still a window of opportunity for taking urgent action to reduce the rate of patients in the future."

The International Cancer Organization emphasizes that the activity should take place among individuals, households and the community, but no less among policy makers at the national and international level: it requires the involvement and cooperation of politicians, educators, industry and the media. "It is important to act to promote a policy that will bring about environmental changes that will make it easier for people to choose the health options - in their place of residence, at work, in the play areas. Such changes play an important role in supporting the formation of behavioral change and promoting long-term behavioral change," the UICC said in a statement.

The practical recommendations:

diet

• Limit the consumption of high-calorie foods, and avoid drinking sugary drinks.
• Base your diet mainly on vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
• Limit consumption of red meat, and avoid eating processed meat (risk factors for colon cancer). It was also found that limiting the consumption of red and processed meat may reduce the risk of disease recurrence among cancer survivors.
• Limit consumption of salty foods and those processed with salt.
• Limit drinking alcohol - for men up to 2 servings per day, for women a maximum of 3.6 serving per day. According to research, 3.5% of cancer cases in the world are related to alcohol consumption, and XNUMX% of all cancer deaths are due to drinking alcohol.

Exercise

In general, it is recommended for adults - 30 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity per day. For children - 60 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity per day. At the same time, it is advisable to limit passive activity such as watching TV or playing computer games for a long time. MAZV Document facts about the disease and the relationship between morbidity and energy balance. Also, for those interested, you can get the full scientific copy (in English) published by the International Cancer Organization.

The awareness campaign of the cancer organizations all over the world is part of a 5-year program, which started last year, with the aim of reducing the incidence of cancer. The data shows that more than 7 million people worldwide die of cancer and 11 million are diagnosed every year. However, about 40% of cancer cases are preventable.

The Israel Cancer Society is one of the organizations belonging to the International Cancer Organization. Prof. Eliezer Robinson - Chairman of the Cancer Society and previously served as president of the international organization, and the CEO of the Cancer Society - Miri Ziv, serves as a member of the international organization's management.

for her photo and license