Cancer timebomb set to explode as overweight Scots get even fatter!

SCOTLAND is facing a cancer timebomb because of the obesity epidemic, a study warned yesterday.

Research revealed overweight people are getting much fatter, while those who are slim have remained almost as thin as their counterparts a decade ago.

Experts believe this uneven distribution of weight gain – one of the key causes of cancer – will trigger many more cases of the disease in years to come.

Professor Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK’s health behaviour unit, who led the study, said: “These inequalities are greatest among those under 45, suggesting that environmental changes are having a greater impact on young adults.

“Snacking habits, takeaway meals high in fat, and sedentary lifestyles where many people spend both work and leisure time sitting in front of a computer are all likely to contribute to the results.

“We are already seeing evidence of a rise in the number of cancers that can be caused by obesity, just when we are seeing a reduction in those caused by smoking. It is a tragedy the strides we are making against lung cancer will be offset by an increase in other forms of the disease that can be caused by carrying too much fat.”

Professor Iain Broom, of Robert Gordon University, who runs the Aberdeen obesity clinic, said yesterday: “Obesity is the second-largest cause of cancer, after smoking. The larger the body size you have, especially if it is in the area of the abdomen, the greater are the risks of developing cancer.

“There are other issues which are affected by obesity. These include cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Obesity is a double whammy for people with cardiovascular disease. It makes their condition worse and increases the likelihood of cancer.”

Cancer Research UK studied the weight and waist measurements of almost 12,000 men and women in 1993-4. They then compared these statistics with a similar group ten years later.

Men’s waist circumference increased by 3.48cm and women’s by 4.35cm. Researchers also discovered the proportion of men and women under 45 who were morbidly obese had doubled over the ten-year period.

Diseases influenced by obesity and more prevalent in Scotland include cancer of the womb, which kills 130 women a year, kidney tumours, which kill 360, and mouth cancer, which has been linked to poor diet.

A report last month showed Scotland was second only to the United States as the most overweight country in the world.

Shona Robison, the health minister, said:

“The government’s approach is early intervention before the children get a chance to develop a taste for high-fat, high-sugar foods. We are also trying to get rid of fizzy drinks and chocolate from school meals.”

However, new research has shown short-term programmes discouraging children from consuming such drinks and promoting healthy eating have no long-term impact.

A study of seven to 11 year-olds in England found the effect wore off after a few years. Programmes had to be continuous before their effectiveness could be properly assessed, its authors said.

MUM WITH BIG HIPS COULD MEAN DANGER FOR GIRLS
MOTHERS with wide hips could pass on a greater risk of breast cancer to their daughters, according to British-led research.

Professor David Barker, of Southampton University, and colleagues in Finland and the US found a link between the size and shape of a woman’s hips and her daughter’s risk of contracting the disease.

The international team found breast cancer rates were more than three times higher among women, born at or after term, whose mothers had wide hips. Rates were more than seven times higher if mothers had already given birth to one or more children.

For the study, published online yesterday in the American Journal of Human Biology, researchers analysed maternity records of more than 6,000 women born in Helsinki from 1934 to 1944 whose mothers’ pelvic bones were measured during routine antenatal care.

Mr Barker, a professor in the developmental origins of health and disease, said: “Wide, round hips represent markers of high sex hormone concentrations in the mother. Our findings show the growth spurt of girls at puberty is associated with the risk of breast cancer in their daughters.”

by JOHN MCEACHRAN

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