Being overweight or obese could cause around 700,000 new UK cancers by 2035 - Philippa Lynch

 

A new report from the UK Health Forum and Cancer Research UK has found that rising rates of obesity and overweight could lead to 700,000 new cancer cases in the UK, as well as millions of new cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke. This would cost the NHS an additional £2.5 billion a year by 2035 over and above what is already spent on obesity related disease. On the plus side the study shows that small changes can have dramatic impacts. A one per cent reduction in the number of overweight or obese people every year could prevent more than 64,000 cancer cases over the next 20 years and save the NHS £300 million in 2035 alone.