Press Release - (embargo May 30 0930)
Taking effective action on
childhood obesity could help prevent millions of cancer cases in Europe,
experts warn today.
They say governments should do
more to address the dangers of overweight, a high fat diet and lack of exercise
as well as cigarettes.
On the eve of World No Tobacco
Day, Prof Philip James, chairman of the International Obesity TaskForce, warned
that dealing with diet must be a firm public health priority along with halting
smoking.
"Cancer is largely
preventable and is mainly caused by tobacco and inappropriate diets. Not
everyone realizes fully that overweight and obesity contribute significantly to
certain cancers and are not just implicated in heart disease and diabetes. This
long term cancer concern is one of the reasons why it is crucially important
that prevention starts early and why we must now tackle the problem of
childhood obesity head on.
"Childhood obesity is
increasing everywhere in Europe which is a major concern. Parents, communities,
governments, the European Union but big business including the media too have a
duty to do more to protect the health of each generation," added Prof
James, one of the experts who produced the World Cancer Research Fund report
"Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a global
perspective".
Speaking as the 11th European
Congress on Obesity opened today in Vienna, he said it was encouraging that 50
European governments had agreed to the World Health Organization proposals in
Europe to adopt food and nutrition action plans and that the European Union had
not only agreed to put nutrition at the forefront of health policy, but was now
recognizing the impact of television advertising, including food advertising,
could have on children.
In the USA obesity is blamed
for 300,000 deaths each year, second only to an estimated 400,000 annual
tobacco-related deaths. Overall between 30% and 40% of all cases of cancer -
three to four million cases worldwide every year -could be prevented by better
diets, more physical activity and maintenance of appropriate body weight.
Prof Jaap Seidell, an IOTF
member and leading epidemiologist who took part in a recent expert consultation
on overweight and cancer convened by the International Agency for Research into
Cancer, said: "The evidence linking overweight and some forms of cancer is
growing very strong. It is important that this is now brought home to people in
a way they can clearly understand. After smoking, dealing with obesity and
physical inactivity is one of the most significant ways of helping to prevent
cancer. How we deal with childhood obesity is the biggest single public health
challenge for this century."
The European Code Against
Cancer already warns people to avoid becoming overweight, increase their
physical activity and limit their intake of fatty foods. Recent studies
undertaken by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research
into Cancer, based in Lyon, France, estimated that one in four cases involving
the kidney and gallbladder, one in 10 cases involving the colon, one in 12
cases of breast cancer in post menopausal women but two in five cases involving
the endometrium (uterine cancer) were attributable to overweight and obesity.
The worst case was Spain where nearly half the cases of endometrial cancer were
attributable to overweight.
Notes to editors:
For further information contact:
Neville Rigby, IOTF director of public affairs c/o the 11th ECO Conference
press centre:
Tel +43 - 1 - 536 44 686
The International Obesity TaskForce
is working on a variety of projects around the world to encourage more
effective policies to prevent overweight and obesity. It is working on a major
collaboration with the World Health Organization to assess the contribution of
overweight and obesity to the global burden of disease.
Examples of overweight and obesity rates from some studies
across Europe can be found on: http://www.iotf.org/media/europrev.htm
More information sources on obesity and cancer:
International Obesity TaskForce - www.iotf.org/cancer
International Agency for Research into Cancer - www.iarc.fr
European Code Against Cancer - Point 4: "Avoid becoming
overweight, increase physical activity and limit intake of fatty foods." http://telescan.nki.nl/code/ecac4.html
WORLD CANCER RESEARCH FUND. Food, nutrition and the prevention
of cancer: a global perspective. Washington, DC, American Institute for Cancer
Research, 1997.
http://www.wcrf.org
/ http://www.aicr.org/report2.htm