Preventable cancer cases could fill Stadium MK four times


The number of people who are diagnosed with a potentially preventable case of cancer in the UK every year is more than four times the capacity of Stadium MK, a leading cancer expert has warned.

According to Professor Martin Wiseman, Medical and Scientific Adviser for World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), while many people know that smoking is the most important cause of cancer, more needs to be done to get across the message that about a third of cancers are thought to be preventable through healthy eating, regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight.

At the start of Cancer Prevention Week on May 12, WCRF is hoping get across the scale of the problem to people in Milton Keynes by highlighting that the estimated 95,000 people diagnosed with potentially preventable cases of cancer every year (a third of the total number of cases) would fill MK Dons’ home ground, which has a capacity of 22,000, more than four times.

Professor Wiseman said: “When you think about what Stadium MK looks like when it’s full of people for a MK Dons home game, it is a sobering thought that every year in the UK we estimate that more than four times this number of people are diagnosed with a cancer that might have been prevented.

“When health charities talk about numbers of cases, it can often be difficult to really comprehend what that means. But we hope that by comparing it to something that is easier to imagine like the capacity of Stadium MK, we will be able show of the scale of the problem that we face.

“We need to remember that for every single one of those cases, there is a devastating impact on the lives of the people who are diagnosed and also on their families, not to mention the financial cost of treatment.

“This is why we need to do more to promote the message that with relatively simple changes, people can make a real difference to their cancer risk.”

Scientists estimate that about a third of cancers could be prevented if everyone followed the following recommendations:
  1. Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
  2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day.
  3. Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar, or low in fibre, or high in salt).
  4. Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and pulses such as beans
  5. Limit consumption of red meats and avoid processed meats
  6. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women a day
  7. Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt
  8. Don’t use supplements for cancer prevention
  9. It’s best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to six months and then add other liquids and foods.
  10. After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
  11. People should always remember not to use tobacco in any form.
To find out more about how they can reduce their risk of developing cancer, people can visit www.wcrf-uk.org or call 020 7343 4205.
 

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