Local Slimming World members are celebrating their fabulous weight losses by donating the clothes from which they successfully slimmed out of to The Irish Cancer Society.
The Slimming World groups from Athlone, Kiltoom and Ballinasloe collected 230 bags of clothes for this very worthy cause.
Overweight and obesity is the second largest preventable cause of cancer in Ireland and the UK and more than one in 20 cancer cases are caused by excess weight. The 2017 study in the Irish medical Journal showed that 4.5% of newly diagnosed invasive cancers attributed to being overweight or obese, a yearly average of 784 new cases and 310 deaths. Losing just 10% of a persons body weight can start to significantly reduce the risk of 13 types of cancer including cancers of the breast, uterus, cervix, ovaries, and gallbladder.
Slimming World is a perfect combination of group support, a generous, flexible, eating plan, a diet high in fibre, fruit and vegetables, and an incremental physical activity program. It is an evidence based, effective way to lose weight and stay slim for life, helping members to reduce the risk of developing cancer, by losing weight and getting support to maintain a healthy weight.
In 2019, the latest data from the national longitudinal study, ‘Growing Up in Ireland’, showed that 15% of five-year-olds were overweight and 5% were obese. This suggests that overweight and obesity may pose a significant health challenge in Ireland in the future.
Slimming world is a family friendly approach helping mothers, fathers and guardians take home healthy habits around food and activity from which the whole family can benefit (Slimming World’s ‘Health and Wellbeing’ study ).
Three months after joining slimming world, 82% of members surveyed said that their partner was eating healthier meals, and 77% said their children were too.
Since 2013, Slimming World members have donated more than €17.5 million worth of pre-loved items to the Irish Cancer Society and Cancer research UK. When the big Slimming World ‘Clothes Throw’ was last held in 2019, it raised €320,000 for the Irish Cancer Society. This year’s event gives members a chance to celebrate the difference that they have made to their health, and the reduced risk of a range of health conditions including cancer, while also raising desperately needed post-pandemic funds for the Irish Cancer Society.
As well as raising vital funds, the partnership between Slimming World and the Irish Cancer Society also supports the shared goals to raise awareness of the links between obesity and cancer.
For details of your local Slimming World group, pop onto www.slimmingworld.ie
