A leading cancer expert has issued a stark reminder of the importance of having a healthy diet and lifestyle as it has been revealed that in the first six months of 2007, an estimated 138,000 people will have been diagnosed with cancer.
Dr Greg Martin, Science and Research Manager at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), said: “These figures are truly shocking when you consider that our research shows that up to 55,000 of these diagnoses could potentially have been prevented if people ate a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, were physically active and maintained a healthy weight.
He continued: “The number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer in any six months is the same as the population of a city such as Norwich. When you consider what each one of these people will go through, it really brings home the importance of doing everything they can to reduce their risk.
“Each and every one of us can raise or lower our risk of cancer and this is directly related to what we eat and the way we live our lives. We owe it to ourselves to look after our health and make this a priority. When reducing your risk of cancer is so easy we really would be foolish not to grasp that with both hands.”
The four most common cancers in the UK are breast, lung, colorectal and prostate. Together these account for 54 per cent of all cancers.
WCRF’s scientific research shows that up to 40 per cent of cancers could be avoided by eating a diet that is rich in plant food, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight.
Breast cancer, is the most common, affecting 44,000 women each year. Numbers have been increasing steadily over the last few years and this cancer is linked to high body mass, adult weight gain and alcohol consumption.
Bowel cancer is also linked to these same three factors as well as saturated fat in the diet.
Although the main cause of lung cancer is smoking, it is also increased by a diet high in saturated fat and alcohol.
Similarly, the risk of developing prostate cancer has also been linked to saturated fat in the diet.
The most recent statistics show that in 2004 in England there were Men 29,406 cases of prostate cancer 18,071 cases of lung cancer 15,817 cases of bowel cancer Women 36,939 cases of breast cancer 12,337 cases of lung cancer 13,020 cases of bowel cancer
World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) is the principal UK charity dedicated to the prevention of cancer. They help to raise awareness that the risk of cancer is reduced by healthy food and nutrition, physical activity and weight management, and to develop and strengthen scientific knowledge of the relation of these factors to cancer prevention.