Nearly three out of four people in Northern Ireland are unaware of the link between obesity and cancer, according to latest figures.
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Three-quarters of people are unaware being overweight increases the risk of developing 10 different types of cancer, Cancer Research UK has said.
Their survey found that, as well as general ignorance about the connection, 77% of those asked did not know that obesity was specifically linked to ovarian cancer.
More than two-third (69 percent) didn’t know there was a link with breast Cancerand more than half (53 percent) didn’t know pancreatic Cancerwas linked to obesity.
However, the survey found that cancer is not at the forefront of people’s minds when thinking about health conditions linked to obesity.
He said: ‘Historically there has been a sense that there was nothing one could do about the risk of getting cancer, but as time goes on it’s clear that there are more and more things we can do, and maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing obesity are clearly two very important components of that’.
The report, ‘Public knowledge of the link between obesity and cancer’ estimates that if current trends in obesity continue, it could lead to a further 670,000 cancer cases over the next 20 years.
Professor Julie Sharp said, “A quarter of all Ukadults are estimated to be obese, and this has a real impact on their risk of developing cancer”.
Simple, low-cost measures could help people live more healthily and reduce their cancer risk, such as walking an extra 15 minutes or eating a piece of fruit instead of a packet of crisps, Toule suggested.
Overweight or obesity is linked to an estimated 18,100 cancer cases each year in Britain, the charity said.
Cox said: “It’s the government’s responsibility to inform the public of the link and also to take action to tackle the obesity epidemic, starting with the health of the nation’s children”. “It’s great the Government’s childhood obesity plan includes a sugary drinks tax, but it’s not enough to curb the rising tide of ill-health”, she added. According to the charity the United Kingdom government should restrict marketing by ensuring junk food adverts are not aired on television before the 9pm watershed, and set mandatory targets for the food and drinks industry to reduce sugar and fat in products.
As well as encouraging the Scottish Government to introduce a robust obesity strategy, Cancer Research UK is also calling on the UK Government to ban junk food TV advertising before 9pm. Some 54% linked obesity with liver cancer.
Womb cancer ranks highest in its association with obesity, and a morbidly obese woman may have a 15 per cent to 20 per cent lifetime risk of womb cancer – equivalent to the risk of lung cancer in a lifetime heavy smoker.
The YouGov survey for the charity took place from February 24 to March 8 and is based on a sample of 280 adults in Scotland.
Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
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Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years.
