Bulging waistlines blamed for UK’s high cancer rates

BRITAIN has one of the world’s highest rates of cancer and it is partly down to obesity, according to research.

It came 13th out of 176 nations – above the likes of Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Japan.

The World Health Organisation estimates the UK will have 447,000 new cases diagnosed by the end of 2018, with one in three

Expert Tam Fry

people getting the disease here compared to one in five globally. We came fifth for total cancers caused by obesity, with 20,000 cases, says WHO analysis of 2012 data. The US came top with 100,000 cases. Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: “Four in 10 cancers in the UK could be avoided if we smoked, drank and ate less.” He said this reflected the Government’s failure to ensure millions lived more healthily.