Alcohol category

More UK Cancers Due to Obesity and Alcohol

Posted: Tuesday, 6 April, 2010 | Categories: obesity, cancer, alcohol

The UK’s obesity crisis means that we have nearly caught up with the US in terms of the number of preventable cancers being reported.

Figures have shown that were Britons to be more careful about their weight, take regular exercise and consume a diet heavy on fruit and vegetables, about 80,000 cases of cancer each year could be prevented. That’s nearly a third of all cases of cancer annually in the UK.

Analysis of the figures has shown that the U.S has a similar rate of preventable cancers, though the rate of obesity is far higher there.

It is thought that the figures are comparable because Britons, as well as having high levels of obesity, also drink more than the average American.

Scientists have said that rates of breast cancer linked to excessive alcohol consumption, which stand at 20% of all breast cancers annually, is double that of the U.S.

A representative from the World Cancer Research Fund, Professor Martin Wiseman, said that the organisation estimates that for the 7 types of cancer that are linked to obesity, just under 20% could be prevented by dieting and maintaining a healthy weight. In the UK, the figure stands at 17%.

He added that overall, preventable cancers in the UK were almost as common as in the US due to the levels of alcohol consumption. He recommended that awareness-raising was necessary to educate the public about the fact that excessive drinking increases someone’s chances of developing cancer.