A study involving observation and monitoring of the body mass index and overall health of more than 5 million British subjects have revealed that excess weight can influence the development of 10 of the most common types of cancers, increasing the risk factor by up to 62%. Currently, there are more that 12,000 cases that are being diagnosed each year and health experts are estimating that this number will still increase significantly unless urgent action against the condition is taken.
In line with this, there has been more urgency injected into the proposition to impose higher taxes on unhealthy food in the country. People who are advocating this campaign have warned that, despite all the medical advancements that have been achieved in the field of cancer research, all the benefits of the current medical breakthroughs could be of no account in just a few years if thousands more become affected with cancer due to unhealthy lifestyle choices.
During the research, scientists discovered that for every 30-35 pounds that is gained by a male or female subject, the risk factor for developing leukemia increases by 9%, liver cancer by 19%, and gallbladder or kidney cancer by 31%. In women specifically, the risk of developing cervical cancer went up by 10% with weight gain, ovarian cancer risk increased by 9%, and one cancer by 62%.
Lead author of this study Dr. Krishnan Bhaskaran from the London School Of Hygiene And Tropical Medicine said that, "People are generally quite aware that being overweight increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but they still don't know about the import relationship to cancer. The number of people who are overweight or obese is rapidly increasing both in the UK and worldwide. Our results show that if these trends continue, we can expect to see substantially more cancers as a result." They estimated that, each year, there are about 12,000 cases of cancer that developed as a direct result of obesity or weight gain. With the current trend, researchers predict that these cases will increase to more than 3,700 cases in the next 12 years.