Obesity could be causing four out of ten cases of cancer, a landmark study has revealed.
The critical role it plays in this deadly disease is even greater than feared, according to research involving 4.1 million adults.
Experts said obesity is now linked to more than 30 types of cancer, an increase from the 13 in which it is known to play a role.
They warned that “groundbreaking” research spanning four decades shows the nation faces a devastating ticking time bomb.
It found that for every five-point increase in body mass index (BMI), equivalent to gaining about three kilos for someone who is at a healthy weight, the chances of contracting several common cancers increased by 24 percent in men and a 12 percent in women. .
The same increase was linked to 19 other cancers, increasing the risk by 17 percent for men and 13 percent for women.
Health charities said it should serve as a “wake-up call” to ministers and called for restrictions on junk food adverts to tackle Britain’s obesity epidemic.
Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “The results are clear: if we can prevent obesity, we can prevent many types of diet-related cancers.”
‘This should be a wake-up call to the UK government, and governments around the world, to urgently implement public health policies that make a significant difference, such as restrictions on the marketing of junk food and levies on unsafe food. healthy.
“We need to make the healthy choice the easy choice for everyone.”
Scientists believe that obesity may increase the risk of cancer through biological mechanisms such as chronic inflammation, alterations in metabolism and changes in hormone levels.
Reduced participation in cancer screening programs and reduced effectiveness of screening procedures in people living with obesity may also be factors.
The study led by Lund University in Malmo, Sweden, involved 4.1 million people who had their weight and lifestyle monitored for about 40 years.
During this time, some 332,500 cancers were identified, and of those, there appeared to be a link between excess weight and cancer in 40 percent of cases.
Researchers examined 122 types and subtypes of cancer in a study that followed patients over a follow-up period of more than 100 million years.
In total, the researchers identified 32 types of cancer linked to obesity, more than double the 13 types of cancer identified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2016.
The new research, which will be presented at the European Obesity Congress in Venice, confirms that these cancers – including those of the breast, intestine, uterus and kidney – can be caused by obesity.
Another 19 possible obesity-related cancers were also identified for the first time, including malignant melanoma, gastric tumors, cancers of the small intestine and pituitary gland, as well as head and neck cancers, vulvar cancer and penile cancer.
Research suggests that around four in 10 cancer cases could be due to obesity in general.
Lead researcher Dr Ming Sun said: “Our findings suggest that the impact of obesity on cancer may be greater than previously known, in that it is a risk factor for more cancers, especially the rarest type.”
“Some of them have rarely or never been investigated before in relation to obesity.”
He added: “The implementation of public health measures that enable and promote a healthy lifestyle is essential to address the obesity epidemic and its well-known detrimental effect on health outcomes.”
According to the most recent NHS health survey in England, 26 per cent of adults are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight, at a cost of around £6.5 billion a year.
Dr. Jennifer Baker, co-chair of the European Association for the Study of Obesity’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity, said that since 60 percent of adults in Europe are obese or living with preobesity, “we are likely to be “We face a significant increase in cancer cases.”
One million patients, who were of a healthy weight and had a body mass index (BMI) of 18 to 25, were estimated to cost the NHS an average of £638 each in 2019, the final year of the study. In comparison, severely obese patients with a BMI of 40 or more cost more than twice as much: £1,375 a year. Meanwhile, the NHS spent £979 a year on obese patients with a BMI of 30-35, which rose to £1,178 a year for those with a BMI of 35-40.
Calling it a “groundbreaking study,” he said, “Researchers show that obesity is associated with 19 new forms of cancer, some of which are surprising, in addition to the 13 that have already been identified.”
“Given that we are likely underestimating the cancer burden attributable to obesity, these results show that greater attention should be paid to obesity in cancer prevention programs.”
Professor Jason Halford, president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: “This is a really robust large-scale analysis.
‘As always, more research is needed, but it reveals what many who study the links between cancer and obesity have suspected; that obesity is likely to be a risk factor for many more types of cancer than we had evidence before.
“If this doesn’t worry health policy makers, it’s hard to see what will.”
The Health Secretary said the key conditions strategy will set out the government’s approach to tackling lifestyle factors that cause poor health and disease, such as diet and obesity, and highlighted successes such as the sugar reduction programme.
Victoria Atkins said: ‘I want us all to live longer, healthier lives. That starts with preventing disease through healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating well, exercising regularly, and not smoking.
‘We are already introducing world-leading legislation to protect future generations from the harmful effects of smoking to reduce diseases such as cancer, and we are taking strong action to tackle obesity too.
“By investing in technology like the NHS Couch to 5k app, we are helping families across the country to get fit and active, and I am excited about new treatments and technologies that can help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight “.
WHAT SHOULD A BALANCED DIET LOOK LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS.
• Eat at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Base meals are based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is equivalent to eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole grain crackers, 2 thick slices of whole wheat bread, and one large baked potato with skin.
• Eat some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soy drinks) by choosing low-fat, low-sugar options.
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 servings of fish each week, one of which should be fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small quantities
• Drink 6 to 8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should consume less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day.
Fountain: NHS Eatwell Guide