A Life-Changing Accomplishment
- Actor John Goodman, 71, appears to be keeping up his incredible 200-pound weight loss as he was photographed this week in New York City.
- Once nearly 400 pounds, the Roseanne alum has said that living life better was his general motivator, but a huge bonus benefit of slimming down is also reduced cancer risk, especially with prostate cancer.
- According to our SurvivorNet medical experts from leading medical centers, obese men are 35% more likely to die from prostate cancer, along with the risk of developing a range of other dangerous health conditions, like diabetes and health disease.
Once nearly 400 pounds, the Roseanne alum — who shares a 33-year-old daughter with Anna Beth — told multiple outlets over the years that living life better was his general motivator, but a huge bonus benefit of slimming down is also reduced cancer risk.
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John Goodman’s Health Journey
Goodman decided in 2007 that it was time to embark on his longterm health journey. The Golden Globe winner first cut out alcohol and sugar, then started working out six days a week.RELATED: Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention
Unlike his annual 60-pound weight loss where he would just go back to his same old habits and put the pounds right back on, Goodman wanted this version of himself to stick.
Three years later, in 2010, Goodman had lost his first 100 pounds, joking to PEOPLE: “It takes a lot of creative energy to sit on your ass and figure out what you’re going to eat next.”
At the time, Goodman had enlisted Mackie Shilstone as his health coach, a famous name who had trained athletes like Serena Williams.
While he definitely picked up with the pace with exercise routine, the comedian had said he wasn’t “going nuts,” with it, and mainly strived to get in 10,000-15,000 steps per day.
For his nutrition, Goodman favored a mediterranean diet.
Obesity & Cancer Risk
Obesity, which means having too much body fat, increases an individual’s risk of developing a range of dangerous health conditions, including several types of cancer. In addition to increasing the likelihood of developing certain cancers, obesity is associated with worse treatment outcomes.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Stephen Freedland of Cedars Sinai Medical Center said, “Some of the best data we have is that obesity increases the risk of not just getting prostate cancer, but actually dying from prostate cancer. Obese men are 35 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer.”
The Link Between Obesity and Prostate Cancer
The risk is significant and that’s why Dr. Freedland counsels his patients on small, everyday changes they can make in their diet which can lead to weight loss.
“I’ve studied this area for a while,” Dr. Freedland added. “I’ve talked to a lot of dietitians, and amazingly there are just two things I can get the dietitians to agree on: trans fats are bad and simple sugars are not good.”
Obesity & Your Overall Health
While obesity or a person’s high weight will not always cause them to develop cancer, other conditions associated obesity, like diabetes and heart disease, can lead to complications from cancer treatment if a person already has cancer. In addition, these conditions can sometimes prevent patients from receiving the recommended first-line therapies, as well as increase a patient’s risk of undergoing surgery.
Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health explained to SurvivorNet the benefits of losing weight.
“While all cancers cannot be prevented,” she said, “losing weight is a great way to reduce one’s risk.”
How Can Diet Affect My Cancer Risk?
Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said that this is especially true for women; they lower their risk of developing breast cancer and endometrial cancer when they lose weight and keep it of.
Even without losing weight, adopting a more nutritious diet can help.
“Food choices, independent of weight loss, may also help to reduce risk,” Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said.
“Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, fish and olive oil) is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Whereas diets rich in red meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer.”
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