Obese people ignore health risks

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

More than a quarter of those who are obese or overweight do not actually want to lose the excess pounds, according to a new study.
Obesity is known to be a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. What's less well known is that it also increases the risk of cancer. A new survey by the leading charity Cancer Research UK reveals a certain lack of awareness among the public. More than half of the 4,000 people surveyed were overweight or obese but 87 per cent of the obese and 32 per cent of the overweight failed to realize their weight category.

And 71 per cent of those with excess weight didn't know it was a cancer risk factor. Nearly half of them did not believe that healthy eating would reduce the cancer risk. The charity is now offering ten top tips to help people keep to a healthy weight. These include regular mealtimes, low fat, slower eating, more fruit and veg and taking exercise. Aim for 10,000 steps a day, they advise - breaking it up during the day if this is more practical for you. All this advice is simple - but it's based on good science and repays dividends in terms of reducing cancer risk.

Source
Cancer Research UK 9th January 2006

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