I don't have time to fully deconstruct this...

[polimicks]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_avoiding_breast_cancer

But I would like to point out a few things to these researchers:

1. Fat women are less likely to get regular cancer screenings because they do not enjoy being called liars, lazy and stupid on a regular basis.

2. Their proposal relies on "staying thin." What if you were never thin in the first place? Are you just fucked? What IS thin anyway? Size 12, 10, 8, 0?

3. What does having the money to eat healthy, living in an area with access to healthy foods, and having the leisure time to exercise all imply? It implies that you have enough money to not live somewhere with obscene levels of pollution in the air, ground and water. You know, pollution that has an even stronger corrollary to things like cancer than being fat does. Somewhere it's safe to go for a walk.

Sigh.

Comments

[garpu.livejournal.com]

I thought they thought breast cancer was largely genetic? Seems like damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[talheres.livejournal.com]

I'm suspicious about these recommendations, most because of the research coming out lately link carbohydrate intake with breast cancer, not eating veggies exercising or being thin. They're probably right about alcohol though, since it's never been shown to be good for the liver or pancreas.

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

morons.

[xythen.livejournal.com]

Well, even these recommendations of "Just don't get fat" etc is only for post-menopausal women- no research on younger women. Really solid research there.

[gloraelin.livejournal.com]

I hate all the ~new research~ that's coming out regarding Fat&Health because ... I just realized that my OHSOIMPORTANT!BMI jumped close to six points in like five months and nobody gives a damn enough to figure out why, just LOSE WEIGHT AND ALL YOUR PROBLEMS WILL GO AWAY.

And I'm just... it's already hard for me because both of my grandmothers had lumps removed, fairly early in life, and so I'm terrified of ... of cancer, honestly. And so all this stuff about how you can ~prevent~ cancer seems like a slap in the face, really, because for me, it's pretty much entirely genetic and it doesn't fit into their stupid little "thin fixes everything" box.

Ugh, I'm sorry for airing all that here. obviously I have issues with fat and how it relates to care.

[polimicks.livejournal.com]

That's ok, I'm sort of in the same boat. My grandmother had a full hysterectomy and a mastectomy in her late 40s/early 50s. So, I share your terror, and pieces like this don't help.