Weight control key to avoiding cancer

THOUSANDS of people could avoid cancer each year if they kept to a healthy weight, a British expert warned yesterday.

A total of 18,600 cancer cases could be prevented if people had a body mass index (BMI) under 25, said Professor Martin Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

Types of cancer that could be avoided include breast, bowel, oesophagus, kidney, pancreas and womb.

A BMI under 18 is underweight, while a BMI of 18 to 25 is classed as healthy. A BMI of 25 to 30 is classed as overweight and over 30 is obese.

The WCRF recommends that people aim to be as lean as possible without becoming underweight. This means they should aim to be closer to a BMI of 18 than 25.

Experts from the charity estimate that a person at the top of the healthy weight range is 15% more likely to develop bowel cancer than somebody at the bottom.

Prof Wiseman said: “The stark fact is that every year in [Britain] many thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer that could have been prevented if they had maintained a healthy weight.

“This is a real cause for concern and the problem is only going to get worse if the number of people who are overweight continues to rise.

“The evidence that being overweight puts you at increased risk of cancer is stronger now than ever before and we now say that, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do for cancer prevention.”

Prof Wiseman cited a recent survey showing that almost 40% of people do not know that excess body fat is a cause of cancer and said more work needs to be done to spread this message.

Overall, experts believe that around one in three of the most common cancers could be prevented if people ate healthily, took more exercise and maintained a healthy weight.