Britain warned that obesity epidemic will cause thousands more cases of cancer

Cancer :: Britain warned that obesity epidemic will cause thousands more cases of cancer

Cancer Research UK today put Britain on a warning that the rising tide of obesity could result in as many as 12,000 cases of weight related cancer diagnosed annually by 2010.

The most recent figures show that in 2003 there were 24.2 million obese or overweight people in the UK. The department of health has predicted a 14 per cent increase by 2010 which means the numbers will rise to 27.6 million.

Cancer Research UK statisticians have calculated that if the rate of obese and overweight people continues to rise - as the government has predicted - there will be an increase of around 1500 weight related cancers per year by 2010.

Researchers have estimated that excess weight causes 3.8 per cent of cancers. The projected rise in people becoming overweight or obese means that weight related cancers are likely to rise from 10, 500 cases per year to 12,000 in just seven years.

After smoking obesity is one of the most important preventable causes of cancer. But few people are aware that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing the disease. A Cancer Research UK survey has shown that only 29 per cent of overweight or obese people are aware of the cancer connection.

Professor Tim Key, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist and expert on diet and cancer, said: "It is now well established that being overweight increases the risk of developing several types of cancer. The effects on breast and womb cancer are almost certainly due to the increased production of the hormone oestrogen in the fatty tissue. We are less sure of the precise mechanisms in other obesity related cancers but we can confidently predict that the number of these cases will increase unless the rise in obesity in Britain can be reversed".

Research in America has found that among men and women who have never smoked the risk of overall cancer death is increased by up to a third in people whose Body Mass Index* (BMI) is between 30 and 35 which is classified as obese.

The implications of increasing obesity present a wide range of health problems of which cancer is one. For this reason Cancer Research UK believes that a comprehensive strategy must be implemented urgently to halt the rise in obesity in the UK population, particularly in children and young adults. Women who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of womb cancer and postmenopausal women have a greater risk of developing breast cancer. There is also evidence for a link between obesity and cancers of the bowel and kidney.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: "Eating healthily and exercising regularly is the best way to maintain a healthy body weight and to reduce your cancer risk."

Weight is a factor in cancer survival. Obese people who develop cancer are less likely to survive than those with a healthy weight, possibly because the cancer is more difficult to diagnose and is therefore not treated until it is more advanced.

Cancer Research UK advises people to maintain a healthy weight (BMI of between 20 and 25) and to eat a balanced diet including at least five portions of vegetables and fruit a day. The charity also encourages people to exercise and lead active lifestyles.

Obesity is increasing across the world. In the UK 23 per cent of men and 25 per cent of women are now classified as obese - with a Body Mass Index over 30. The numbers of obese children have almost tripled in the past 20 years, with more than five per cent now obese and more than 20 per cent overweight using the International Obesity Task Force criteria.




(Cancer :: Britain warned that obesity epidemic will cause thousands more cases of cancer published at SpiritIndia on Friday, December 8, 2006)

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