If Obesity Increases At Present Rate Cancer Rates Will Double

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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If obesity rates continue to increase then the number of cancer cases in the UK could double in the next 40 years, a leading cancer expert has warned ahead of a conference of scientists specialising in the links between cancer and obesity.

Professor Martin Wiseman, Medical and Scientific Adviser for World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), believes today's children could face big increases in rates of cancer as adults unless something is done to curb the obesity crisis.

Speaking ahead of a London conference organised by the charity and the Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO), Professor Wiseman said the fact that a third of women and half of men are projected to be obese in 40 years is one of the most important reasons for the expected doubling in cancer cases.

He said: "The evidence now shows that, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do for cancer prevention. This means that if rates of obesity continue to rise then this will have serious consequences for cancer rates in the UK.

"Unless something happens soon to stop the increase in obesity then we are sleepwalking towards a situation where the UK will be facing more cancer cases than ever before.

"Rising obesity rates are not the only reason we expect the number of cancer cases to double over the next 40 years, but it is an important factor."

Professor John Wilding, Chairman of the ASO, said: "This conference is about bringing together some of the leading experts on the link between cancer and obesity and giving them a chance to share their knowledge.

"This is an extremely important subject because there is convincing evidence that excess body fat is a cause of several types of cancer. This is why it is so important that we understand and promote this subject as much as possible."

The conference will look at:

- Recent evidence on the link between lifestyle and cancer risk
- The findings of WCRF's Expert Report
- The link between energy intake and cancer risk
- How physical activity can reduce cancer risk
- How obesity increases risk of cancer
- The links between weight gain and breast cancer
- Whether people with gastric bands are at reduced cancer risk
- How lifestyle can affect a person's chances of surviving cancer
- How policy can be used to reduce the number of cancer cases

Notes

- The speakers at the conference will be Professor Martin Wiseman; Professor Sir Michael Marmot, University College London; Professor Michael Leitzmann, University of Regensburg, Germany; Dr Clare Stevinson, University of Manchester; Dr Stephen Hursting, University of Texas; Andrew Renehan, Department of Surgery, University of Manchester; Dr Michelle Harvie, University Hospital of South Manchester; Dr Anders Gummesson, University of Goteborg, Sweden; Dr John Saxton, Sheffield Hallam University.

- The WCRF report Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer, the most comprehensive report ever published on the links between lifestyle and cancer risk, found convincing evidence that excess body fat is a cause of cancers of the: bowel; breast (post-menopausal); endometrium (womb); oesophagus; kidney and pancreas.

- Despite the convincing evidence that being overweight increases risk of cancer, a recent YouGov survey showed just half of people in Britain are aware of this.

About ASO

The Association for the Study of Obesity (ASO) was founded in 1967 and is the UK's foremost organisation dedicated to the understanding and treatment of obesity. The Association for the Study of Obesity has three key objectives:

- To promote professional awareness of obesity and its impact on health.
- To educate and disseminate recent research on the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of obesity
- To prioritise obesity and provide opinion leadership in the UK.

The Association is affiliated to the European and International Associations for the Study of Obesity and organised the lst International Congress on Obesity, held in London in 1974 and the 2nd European Congress on Obesity, held in Oxford in 1989. The Association was also the founding body of the highly respected International Journal of Obesity. Further information about the ASO can be found at http://www.aso.org.uk

About WCRF

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) raises awareness that cancer is largely preventable and helps people make choices to reduce their chances of developing the disease.

This includes research into how cancer risk is related to diet, physical activity, and weight management, and education programmes that highlight the fact that about a third of cancers could be prevented through changes to lifestyle. For more information on the charity's work, visit http://www.wcrf-uk.org

The WCRF report, called Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, was launched in November 2007 and is the most comprehensive report ever published on the link between cancer and lifestyle. http://www.dietandcancerreport.org

World Cancer Research Fund