Plea over obesity link to cancer

Obesity levels among Irish people can lead to several forms of cancer here, a joint All-Ireland and US conference was told today.

Transatlantic experts meeting in Dublin warned of links between obesity and cancer of the breast, colon, kidney, uterus and oesophagus.

Minister of State for Health Ivor Callely told the conference that the island of Ireland now has one of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the western world.

He added: “We must take a proactive approach to target public health issues like obesity which increases the risk of many cancers.

“The facts show that obesity accounts for over of 2,500 deaths in Ireland. In addition, over 28,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed each year and 11,000 people died from the disease each year.”

Today’s Obesity and Cancer Seminar was organised by an Ireland-US cancer consortium which was set up after the Good Friday Agreement in 1999 by the governments of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United States.

The unique partnership aims to boost cancer prevention and treatment on the island of Ireland by linking up government health departments in Dublin and Belfast with the National Cancer Institute in the US – the world’s leading cancer research, training and development agency.

Minister Callely said: “The World Cancer Report of 2003 provides clear evidence that public health action by governments and the promotion of healthy lifestyles can prevent as many as one third of cancers worldwide.”

He stressed that obesity is a totally avoidable health problem but was still a major contributing factor to other diseases apart from cancers – like type-two diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

He added: “Obesity is becoming one of the fastest growing health problems in Ireland. One in eight Irish people are obese and every second person is overweight.

“One in five Irish boys and girls are overweight and one in 20 is obese.

“Life expectancy of an obese 40-year-old can be reduced by up to seven years. Obesity accounts for up to 6% of total health costs.”

Minister Callely indicated that the National Taskforce on Obesity launched in March was due to present a strategy document to his department by the end of the year.

He also noted that the Health Promotion Unit within his department launched the ‘Every Step Counts’ campaign earlier this month to promote healthy eating and regular physical activity.

The cancer consortium is currently pushing for an All-Ireland register of cancer incidence and deaths. It has also developed a network of hospitals which will be funded to conduct clinical trials.

Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Henrietta Campbell told the two-day conference in Croke Park said that Irish people would immediately improve their health if they prioritised nutrition and exercise in their lifestyle.

She added: “We still have a great deal to learn about the various lifestyle factors that impact on two major public health concerns like obesity and cancer.”