Yahoo News Four extra inches on the waist sharply increases risk of host of cancers
An extra four inches on the waist increases the risk of a whole host of cancers by 13 per cent, a major study shows.
The research on more than 43,000 people found that weight gain on the waist was linked to a greater chance of cancers of the breast, bowel, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, womb, ovary and kidneys.
It has long been known that obesity increases the risk of many cancers.
But the new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation, quantifies the risk.
The global study found that the average waist size is 35 inches - and that an extra four inches on top of that increased the risks of a host of cancers by 13 per cent. The average man in the UK has a waist size of 38 inches while for women it is 34 inches.
The study also found than three extra inches on the average hip size of 40 inches increased the risk of bowel cancer by 15 per cent.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s head of health information, said:“It’s important that people are informed about ways to reduce their risk of cancer. And while there are no guarantees against the disease, keeping a healthy weight can help you stack the odds in your favour and has lots of other benefits too.”
