Healthy body weight 'can cut cancer risk'

Only 3% of people know that maintaining a healthy weight cuts their risk of cancer, according to a poll out today.

The survey of 3,947 people, for Cancer Research UK, also found that just 11% listed sunscreen or staying out of the sun as things people could do to cut their risk of the disease.

Some 66% said people could stop smoking to reduce their risk, while 59% knew that changes to food and diet could help.

Almost one in three (29%) listed exercise, 22% listed cutting back on alcohol and 3% said a healthy body weight could help cut the risks.

After smoking, being overweight or obese is one of the biggest risks in developing cancer.

Figures show that more than 13,000 cases of cancer could be prevented each year in the UK if people maintained a healthy weight.

Overall, 7% of those questioned failed to name a single positive thing people could do to help to prevent the disease.

Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "It may be hard for people to make the link between obesity and an increased risk of cancer because we generally associate having the disease with being underweight.

"But carrying extra weight means producing more chemicals in our bodies that can cause cancer to develop.

"We know it can be hard to make long-lasting changes to our lifestyles, like quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol.

"But it's important that people are aware of the things that they can do - and the extent to which these changes will affect their cancer risk - so that they can make informed choices."