Obesity will fuel 700,000 cancer cases in 20 years

OBESITY will cause almost 700,000 cases of cancer within the next 20 years, experts warn.

They predict that four in ten adults will be obese by 2035.

Estimates also show that by this time obesity-related illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease, will cost the NHS more than £7.5billion a year.

A report by Cancer Research UK and a group of other health charities urges the Government to take far tougher action. They recommend banning junk food adverts between 6am and 9pm so they are less likely to be seen by children.

They also want a 20p per litre tax on sugary drinks. But the Government has repeatedly dismissed introducing a sugar tax, despite similar pleas from health bodies and MPs.

Ministers are due to publish their longawaited obesity strategy next month amid concerns from experts that they are not addressing the crisis.

Currently, around 30 per cent of adults – almost one in three – are classed as overweight and a similar number are obese, meaning a total of around 60 per cent are deemed too fat.

But by 2035, this is predicted to rise to 73 per cent of adults, including 41 per cent who are obese. The worst-affected group will be women on the lowest incomes, almost half of whom will be obese, according to the report.

The researchers used computer modelling to estimate that this will lead to 670,000 new cancer cases. Obesity is known to increase the risk of many types of cancer including bowel, breast, prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancers.

Alison Cox, director of cancer prevention at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘Obesity will be a huge burden to society and the NHS in the near future. We must act now to combat this threat.

‘Kids are bombarded with advertisements for unhealthy food. It’s vital the Government restricts this kind of advertising ... Otherwise our children will pay the price and will have poorer health, face more disease and die earlier.’ Paul Lincoln, chief executive officer at the UK Health Forum, which represents almost 100 charities and medical bodies, said: ‘This report makes a very clear economic case for why we must act now to turn the rising tide of obesity.’

The report’s recommended sugar tax would increase the price of a litre bottle of coke from £1.85 to £2.20, and a can from 68p to 75p. In October, David Cameron was accused of throwing out a report recommending a sugar tax without even reading it.

The following month MPs on the Health Select Committee published a report strongly calling for the tax.