Soaring obesity rates have lumbered Britain with a "cancer time bomb", warns an expert.

Britain's obesity epidemic has created 'cancer time bomb' - Independent

Extract:

"Soaring obesity rates have lumbered Britain with a "cancer time bomb" which, combined with an ageing population, will cause a massive increase in cases unless urgent action is taken, an expert has warned.

Research has shown up to 40 per cent of cancers, particularly hormone-sensitive types such as breast and endometrial cancer (affecting the womb lining), can be prevented by adopting a healthy diet and taking regular exercise, said Dr Greg Martin, science and research manager at the World Cancer Research Fund. Obesity was also associated with cancer of the oesophagus and bowel, said Dr Martin.

"There has been plenty of attention recently on the problems of obesity, but a lot of people still do not realise how closely obesity is linked to cancer," he said. "People getting fatter will lead to an increase in the number of cancer cases as surely as night follows day.

Dr Martin, who was speaking at the start of his charity's Cancer Prevention Week, added: "You also have to add into the mix that cancer is largely an older person's disease, and the UK has an ageing population. So if you have an ageing population that is getting more obese, there could be really serious consequences in terms of the number of people getting cancer if people do not act now. It's a cancer time bomb."

Although the biological mechanics connecting obesity and cancer were far from clear, he said, adipose tissue, which makes up the rolls of fat that form around the belly, was not inert but produced oestrogen. The hormone is known to fuel certain cancers. For people with oesophagus cancer, which is especially deadly, obesity may increase acid reflux which in turn raises the risk of cancer."

It is correct that there is a connection between obesity and several cancers, and it is correct that this is not widely realised. - What is even less widely realised though, even by this expert, Dr Martin, is that obesity is caused by fluid retention and that this can be lessened by reducing sodium intake and increasing potassium intake, which means, in practical terms, eating less salt and salty food, and eating more fruit and fresh vegetables. Exercise does not help to reduce obesity, nor does portion control.

Lose weight (and reduce your risk of developing cancer) by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
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