Obesity poised to overtake smoking as leading risk factor, warn researchers
The good news is that about 40 per cent of cancer cases are preventable and that smoking, the biggest single cause, is in decline across much of the world. The bad news is that overall rates are shooting up as more countries adopt western lifestyles. By 2035, the number of new cases is set to rise by 58 per cent to 24m, according to a report from the World Cancer Research Fund. “Over the next 20 or 30 years, unless anything is done to stop it, [obesity or being overweight] is going to overtake smoking as the number one risk factor for cancer,” says Dr Kate Allen, executive director of science and public affairs at the WCRF.
The report is a synthesis of a decade of research on cancer risks with a new set of recommendations (see graphic) to minimise a person’s chances of developing the disease. It says 12 cancers are now linked to being overweight or obese …
by Darren Dodd for Financial Times
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