Obesity increases your cancer risk (even if you are a non-smoker)!

Telegraph.co.uk: Obesity has become the main cause of cancer in non-smokers, a global conference will hear next week.

The World Cancer Research Fund has spent five years collecting information about the effect bodyweight, diet and physical activity has on the risk of developing cancer and will present its findings on Thursday.

Smoking is still the single biggest cause of cancers, accounting for one third of the 300,000 cases in the UK each year.

But only one quarter of people smoke and research has found that for non-smokers being overweight or obese is the most important avoidable cause of cancer. In the UK, 12,000 people a year could avoid cancer if they maintained a healthy weight, according to Cancer Research UK.

Obesity is known to cause between nine and 15 per cent of breast cancers – more than defective genes.

A recent study found women who have gone through the menopause and are obese increase their risk of developing breast cancer by a third.

Obesity is known to increase the risk of cancer by raising the level of hormones such as oestrogen, which feeds many breast cancers.

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A new system to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer!

The Newton-Wellesley Hospital at Newton, Massachusetts, has developed a new system to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer and to save their lives. This system identifies women at risk for breast cancer and screens them more frequently for breast cancer, which helps in the early detection of the disease and ultimately saves their lives.

This news story from WCVB - Boston's Channel 5, explains how this system works.

Study: Diabetes may lower the risk of prostate cancer in men

Reuters UK – Men with long-term diabetes may have a reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to the results of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"Recent studies have suggested an association between type 2 diabetes mellitus and lower risk of prostate cancer," Dr. Mona Saraiya and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, write. "It has been hypothesized that men with long-term diabetes have a lower risk of prostate cancer than non-diabetic men, and recently diagnosed men have a higher risk."

In the current study, the researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2002 to investigate the association between diabetes and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a biological marker for prostate cancer. Higher PSA levels indicate an increased risk of cancer.

The researchers adjusted the findings for the effect of known potential risk factors. For subjects without a diagnosis of diabetes, the researchers used fasting blood sugar measurements to determine the presence of undiagnosed diabetes.

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For free advice on cancer related issues visit Free Help Advice

Eating fatty fish can reduce the risk of cancer

Swedish researchers have found that eating fatty fish, which is rich in vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids, can reduce the risk of kidney cancer significantly. Fish like salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel were defined as fatty fish by researchers, while tuna and cod were considered to be lean fish.

A study carried out by ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’ revealed that women eating fatty fish once a week at a lesser risk to cancer compared to others, whereas, eating three fish a month for a period of 10years would reduce cancer risk by nearly 74 percent.

Kidney cancer also referred to as renal cell carcinoma is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States with a very low survival rate. It is the most common form of cancer in women above 40yrs of age.

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