How To Fight Cancer With Food

There are no proven ways to prevent cancer, but what you eat can help reduce your risk of getting it

THE OBESITY LINK

Being overweight is the biggest cause of cancer after smoking. It’s linked to more than one in every 20 diagnoses here in the UK.

‘Fat in your body sends signals telling cells what to do and when to divide,’ says cancer expert Clare Hyde from Cancer Research UK. ‘Extra fat can encourage too much cell division and growth, causing cancer to start.’

Research shows that many cancer types are more common in people who are overweight/obese, including breast and bowel, and three of the hardest to treat (pancreatic, oesophageal and gallbladder). Studies show that, after menopause, obese women have a 30% higher risk of breast cancer than women of a healthy weight.

Your overall cancer risk increases the longer you’re overweight for. But the good news is that losing extra weight reduces that risk and exercise and healthy food reduces your cancer risk further.