Oprah Winfrey, 70, Feels ‘Redeemed’ After Weight Loss Meds Helped Her Keep the Pounds Off. How Your Weight Impacts Cancer Risk

Former talk show host Oprah Winfrey, 70, has long been open about her weight loss journey. More recently, she admitted to using weight loss medications to help keep the pounds she shed off.

Many people can relate and empathize with Winfrey’s weight loss journey as the subject can be sensitive and conjure up challenging emotions. Among cancer patients, cancer treatment can affect your physical appearance and impact your body weight, making the journey harder to cope with.

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“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing,” Winfrey told People Magazine.

“There’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier. In my lifetime, it feels like relief, redemption, and a gift, and it is not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for. I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself,” Winfrey said.

Winfrey also made headlines when she decided not to run for re-election on Weight Watcher’s board of directors. In doing so, she said she was committed to continuing support for the program.

“Weight health is a critically important topic and one that needs to be addressed at a broader scale. I plan to participate in a number of public forums and events where I will be a vocal advocate in advancing this conversation,” Winfrey said in a statement.

 

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Oprah is one of the most recognizable and successful women in the media landscape. She’s been a beloved figure – especially among women – for decades, dating back to the 1980s, when her talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” began. For 29 seasons, it tackled many lifestyle issues. Among the issues Winfrey discussed included her own weight loss journey.

“For four solid months, I didn’t eat a single morsel of food. When I started Optifast in July 1988, I weighed 212 pounds. By fall, I weighed 145 pounds. Wearing my size ten jeans, I pulled a wagon full of fat—representing 67 pounds I’d dropped—onto the stage,” Winfrey said in an October 2005 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine.

“What I didn’t know was that my metabolism was shot. Two weeks after I returned to real food, I was up 10 pounds. Since I wasn’t exercising, there was nothing my body could do but regain the weight,” she said.

@khloekardashian is giving me @Oprah fat wagon circa 1988, tonight on #KUWTK pic.twitter.com/rgjZAcIuPt

— my legs clap for poutine (@dylandreaming) May 2, 2016

Winfrey emphasizes a healthy lifestyle. Last year, she told People Magazine that after undergoing knee surgery, she took up hiking.

“I started hiking and setting new distance goals each week. I could eventually hike three to five miles every day and a 10-mile straight-up hike on weekends. I felt stronger, more fit, and more alive than I’d felt in years,” she said.

Does Being Overweight Influence Cancer Risk?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Being overweight or having obesity are linked with a higher risk of getting 13 types of cancer.”

Research published in the journal “Cancers” says that “Obesity also increases the risk of dying from cancer and may influence the treatment choices. About 4–8% of all cancers are attributed to obesity.”

Some of the cancers associated with being overweight or obese include:

• Colon
• Breast
• Ovarian
• Esophagus
• Pancreatic
• Multiple myeloma
• Endometrial
• Liver

WATCH: Living a healthy lifestyle.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), fat tissue “produces excess amounts of estrogen,” which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. In fact, the NCI says a person who is severely obese is “7 times” more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

Obesity is associated with high levels of insulin, which can lead to colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer.

Obesity can affect cancer survivors in various ways, including the chance of cancer recurrence and overall quality of life.

To learn more about your ideal healthy weight, determine your body mass index (BMI).

Body weight that exceeds what the body mass index deems appropriate for your weight and height can help determine body fat content. Although your BMI can help you learn if you are at a healthy weight, underweight, overweight, or obese, other factors may contribute to your overall health.

A BMI calculator can help you learn where you stand.

How physical activity reduces cancer risk

The NCI analyzed several studies to observe physical activity’s impact on overall cancer risk. The NCI says that “higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of several types of cancer.”

Notable findings point to a 2014 study that found that the risk of bladder cancer was “15 percent lower” among people with higher physical activity levels. A 2015 meta-analysis found that physically active women had a “12 to 21 percent” lower risk of breast cancer than inactive women.

Meta-analyses in colon, endometrial, esophageal, kidney, and stomach cancers all saw similar trends. More physically active people saw their cancer risk drop on average 12 to 20 percent.

Expert Advice to Live a Healthy Lifestyle

Dr. Ken Miller, the Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, shared some guidelines for cancer survivors who are concerned about a recurrence with SurvivorNet:

• Exercise at least two hours a week, and walking counts.
• Eat a low-fat diet.
• Eat a colorful diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. The American Cancer Society recommends aiming for two to three cups of vibrant vegetables and fruits each day.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that being obese can increase your risk for several types of cancer.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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