Being fat is now a bigger trigger for common cancers than smoking, research reveals
BEING fat has overtaken smoking as the major preventable cause of four common cancers, research reveals.
Experts claim rising numbers of deadly bowel, liver, kidney and ovarian cancer cases have been fuelled by excess weight.
It has led to warnings the fat epidemic could soon reverse medical gains in the disease. The Office for National Statistics said 29 per cent of UK adults are now obese, double the level in 1993.
But the ONS also said 14.7 per cent in the UK smoke — meaning fat Brits outnumber cigarette-smokers by two to one.
Each year, 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel tumours.
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Analysis by Cancer Research UK reveals excess weight was responsible for 4,800 of these cases, compared with just 2,900 from smoking.
It was also the cause of more kidney, ovarian and liver tumours than smoking. But fags are still the UK’s biggest preventable cause of all cancers.
NHS boss Simon Stevens said it was “further proof that obesity is the new smoking” and called on all areas of society to do their bit to “avoid copying America’s damaging and costly example”.
Surge in e-cig use
THE number of people vaping has rocketed by 70 per cent to 3.2 million in four years.
A report shows that the proportion of over-16s on e-cigs rose from 3.7 per cent in 2014 to 6.3 per cent last year.
It comes as the ONS said levels of smoking in the UK were 14.7 per cent in 2018, down five per cent from 2011.
But levels of smoking in pregnancy have stayed at just under 11 per cent for the past two years.
Campaigners want more done to discourage women from the habit.
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