Our lifestyles are killing us: Poor diets, drinking and lack of exercise blamed for 78,000 cancer cases a year

Updated: 00:26 BST, 27 February 2009

View
comments

Risk: Thousands of cases of cancer could be prevented if people drank less alcohol

Almost 78,000 Britons develop cancer needlessly each year because of their unhealthy lifestyles.

Researchers found that they could have avoided the disease by eating better, drinking less alcohol and exercising more.

The report by the World Cancer Research Fund put Britain bottom of the four countries surveyed.

Record levels of drinking, growing obesity and sedentary behaviour are blamed for Britain having the highest proportion of preventable cancers.

The report found that 39 per cent of cases of the 12 major cancers could be prevented with healthy living.

It said the equivalent figure was 34 per cent in the U.S., 30 per cent in Brazil and 27 per cent in China.

The researchers said bowel cancer cases could be cut by 43 per cent if people ate less red and processed meat.

Drinking less could see breast cancer cases fall by 42 per cent.

The report says eating more fresh vegetables and fruit and cutting down on alcohol could prevent 67 per cent of cases of mouth, pharynx and larynx cancer each year.

For cancer of the oesophagus, 75 per cent of cases – around 5,800 – could be prevented with increased intake of fruit and vegetables, less alcohol and weight control.

The 12 forms of cancer accounted for almost 200,000 cases of the disease in 2005, of which around 78,000 were preventable, the study said.

The figures do not include smoking which accounts for one third of cancer cases.

Martin Wiseman, the project's director, said it showed that Britons had a long way to go in taking responsibility for their own health.

'We are more unhealthy in terms of lifestyle than other countries,' he said. 'People in the UK drink more than in the U.S., for example, which increases the preventability potential.

'There are more preventable behaviours here which is why the UK is worse than the U.S.

'The figures in this report have been agreed by the most eminent of scientists and they are as accurate as they can be with the available data.'

Professor Wiseman added: 'We are expecting a substantial increase in cancer rates with the ageing population, obesity rates soaring, and with people becoming less active and increasingly consuming highly processed and energy-dense foods and drinks.

'The good news is this is not inevitable and we still have the chance to avert a crisis before it is too late.'

The report said governments should use legislation and pricing to encourage a switch from unhealthy to healthy foods.

Professor Mike Richards, the Government's cancer czar, said: 'The evidence linking diet, physical activity, obesity and cancer has become stronger over the last decade and this report can play a part in people adopting healthier lifestyles.'

Richard Davidson of Cancer Research UK said: 'Around 13,000 cancer cases in the UK are linked to being overweight or obese.

'And even more are linked to poor diets, drinking too much alcohol and not doing enough exercise. After smoking, these are some of the biggest preventable causes of cancer.

'Doing nothing could be disastrous. There is no magic bullet, no one single fix to the problem. If we are to tackle the situation, we need individuals, business and government to work together to encourage healthy lifestyles by promoting things like cycle lanes and food labelling.'

Arlene Wilkie of the Breast Cancer Campaign said: 'There is growing evidence that leading a healthy lifestyle, including being physically active and maintaining a healthy body weight, has never been more important.'