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LONDON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Some 75 percent of people in Britain have no idea of the link between obesity and cancer, according to a report released on Friday by the Cancer Research UK.
Overweight or obesity is linked to an estimated 18,100 cancer cases each year in Britain, the charity said. Being the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking, overweight or obesity is linked to 10 types of cancers, including breast, bowel, womb and oesophageal.
Generally people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to know about the link, according to the new survey. And men are less likely than women to be aware of the increased risk of cancer caused by obesity.
According to another report by Cancer Research UK and the UK Health Forum, if current trends of being overweight and obese continue in the country, there will be a further 670,000 cancer cases over the next 20 years.
A quarter of all British adults are estimated to be obese, and this has a real impact on their risk of developing cancer, said Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK's head of health information.
Sharp also urged people to have a healthy balanced diet and become more active, which could help them keep a healthy weight.
