The epidemics of obesity and cancer: No simple remedy

Obesity and cancer are regarded as two major epidemics of the 21^st century. It has now been well established that obesity is a cause of several cancers, including cancers of the colon, post-menopausal breast, uterus, pancreas, gall bladder, liver, oesophagus and kidney. It has been estimated that as many as one-third of all cancers can be attributed to an unhealthy diet (such as high caloric intake, high intake of red and processed meat and low intake of fibre) lack of physical activity and obesity. As many as 3% of all the cancers in men and 9% of those in women can be attributed directly to obesity. As a result, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute of Cancer Research (WCRF/ AICR) have issued guidance on the prevention of cancer in the form of 10 recommendations, one of them being: "be as lean as possible without becoming underweight".