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 Maintaining a healthy weight |
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Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life
Why is a healthy weight so important?
Our Second Expert Report found convincing evidence that maintaining a healthy weight is linked to a reduced risk of several cancers, including bowel and breast cancer, two of the most common forms of the disease in the UK. Being a healthy weight also reduces our risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
Top tips for maintaining a healthy weight
Choose lower energy-dense foods like vegetables, fruits and wholegrains.
Be physically active! It's simple – by moving more, we burn more calories. Any calories that we
don't use up are stored as excess fat.
Keep an eye on portion sizes.
Watch out for sugary drinks like colas, lemonade and fruit squashes. Water is the healthiest option,
although unsweetened tea and coffee are good choices too.
How do I know if I am a healthy weight?
There are two common ways to find out. The first is Body Mass Index (BMI), which measures whether you are a healthy weight for your height. The second is your waist circumference – research shows that storing excess weight around our waists is particularly harmful to our health.
Measuring your BMI
1. Convert your weight into kilograms (kg) and your height into metres (m).
2. Divide your weight by your height squared. This figure is your BMI.
For example, here is the calculation for a person who is 5’7” (1.7m) tall and who weighs 11 stone (70kg).
Weight (70kg) / Height2 (1.7 x 1.7) = BMI of 24.2
Results
Less than 18.5 = underweight
Between 18.5-24.9 = healthy weight
Between 25-29.9 = overweight
30 or more = very overweight or obese
Note: the BMI may not be a suitable indicator for athletes, elderly people, pregnant women, children or adults less than five feet tall.
Measuring your waist
Another good way of checking if you’re a healthy weight is by measuring your waist.
1. Place a tape measure around your waist at the narrowest point between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bone.
2. Make sure the tape is snug but doesn’t compress your skin.
3. Measure after breathing out.
As a guide, a healthy waist measurement is less than 80cm/31.5” for women and less than 94cm/37” for men.
This may seem easier to achieve when you are younger, but it’s important to try to be as lean as possible around the waist at any age – try to do your best!
How is being overweight linked to cancer?
Scientists are still investigating, but one reason may be that carrying excess weight affects our hormone balance.
Did you know?
By maintaining a healthy weight you could reduce your risk of the following cancers:
bowel
breast (in postmenopausal women)
oesophagus
pancreas
endometrium (womb)
kidney
gallbladder
Download or order our publications to find out more.
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