Martin Wiseman, an English health expert and adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), says that there are a significant amount of cancer incidents that could be preventable if people watch their weight.
Wiseman claims that if everyone had a BMI (Body Mass Index) under 25, it would make a significant difference in the cases of new cancer. Those cancers linked to obesity include breast, bowel, kidney, pancreas, esophagus, and womb lining.
Scientists estimate that someone at the top of the healthy weight range, which is between 18.5 and 25, is 15 percent more likely to develop bowel cancer than someone at the bottom.
If I were to take an educated guess, I’d say most people think you get cancer from smoking, toxin exposure, or some sort of genetic predisposition. But diet also plays a major role. Wiseman says a survey shows almost 40 percent of people do not know that excess weight causes of cancer.
Scientists estimate that about a third of the most common cancers could be prevented if people maintained a healthy weight, and were physically active. That is an amazing, and surprising, statistic.
Speaking of health issues facing his native England, Wiseman says, “The stark fact is that every year in this country, many thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer that could have been prevented if they had maintained a healthy weight.”
(via: BBC)