A third of all Americans are obese and almost as many Western Europeans are also classified as clinically obese. The range in the percentage is fairly consistently across all age groups and between the two genders.

Even more shocking, twenty-five percent of all female Americans in their 20’s are obese.

In addition to causing heart problems, over-eating is known to play a role in breast cancer. More estrogen is produced in overweight women than in those with a slim build. Estrogen stimulates cells to grow and divide and may accidentally signal cells to divide out of control under special circumstances. If this happens, a cancer cell may form and a tumor can develop.

Obesity has also been implicated with a higher risk of prostate and colon cancer. It has also been shown that obese women are 3 to 5 times as likely to develop cancer is the tissue lining their uterus (endometrial cancer).