BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhuanet) -- A British cancer expert Monday insisted that making a few simple changes to their lifestyle can help avert the "cancer time bomb" facing his fellow countrymen, according to media reports.

    Greg Martin said people need to be fully aware of the hidden costs of a poor diet and lack of exercise.

    Excess fat around the stomach increases the production of the hormone oestrogen, which can be carcinogenic, he said.

    It is already being predicted that 12.6 million Britons will be classed as obese by 2010. However, Martin said while the surge in cancer cases would follow "as surely as night follows day," simple changes to lifestyle could help avert the impending disaster.

    "It's a huge chunk of the population. Each of these people is going to have an increased risk of cancer - but this is an avoidable risk factor," he stated. 

    "This kind of increase cannot be explained by anything genetic. It's almost certainly a function of behavior. It's something we can do something about," he added.

    "There has been plenty of attention recently on the problems of obesity, but a lot of people still do not realize how closely obesity is related to cancer," he continued.

    "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 we do not act now. It's a cancer time bomb."

(Agencies)