h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dr Greg Martin, Science and Research Manager of the World Cancer Research Fund recently highlighted the link between obesity and hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast and cancer of the womb lining. It is also known to be linked to oesophageal and bowel cancer. Martin explained that obesity can trigger cancer because the adipose tissue, which stores fat around the stomach, produces the potentially carcinogenic hormone, oestrogen.

Obesity Figures (UK:

1980. 8% of women and 6% of men were classified as obese.

2007. Figures have risen to 24% of women and 23% of men.

In 2003 an estimated 4.3M British men were obese - a figure that is expected to rise to 6.6M by 2010. The total predicted obese figure for 2010 is 12.6M (i.e. includes 6M women, who will have increased from 4.8M in 2003)
Dr Martin says that this kind of increase cannot be explained by anything genetic. It's almost certainly a function of behaviour, and therefore something we can do something about. by making simople adjustments to our lifestyles.

IUf one takes into account that cancer is largely an older person's disease, and the UK has an increasingly ageing population. If this populatin is also getting more obese, which it is, there could be serious consequences in tewrms of the numbers of people getting cancer. "It's a cancer timebomb".