Being overweight can increase your chances of developing cancer, but most
people are unaware of the risks, a leading cancer charity has warned.
The survey, by pollster NOP for Cancer Research UK, has found Britons risk
dying prematurely from cancer because they are unaware of the risks of being
overweight in relation to cancer.
Only 3 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed knew that people who are
overweight are more likely to develop cancer, while 70 per cent were aware of
the link with heart disease.
Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK’s health behaviour unit, said:
"Excess body fat is not harmless ‘extra padding’, but active tissue
producing hormones that can increase the risk of cancer."
The survey coincides with the launch of the charity’s annual Race for Life,
running from 5 May until 25 July.
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The findings were especially worrying because being overweight was the major
preventable risk factor for cancer in non-smokers, said the charity.
Post-menopausal women who were overweight were at greater risk of developing
breast cancer.
