Being overweight increases the risk of cancer
28.09.2023 15:07
Being overweight is one of the most important preventable but little-known cancer risk factors. Every year, around 30,000 cases of cancer in Germany are caused by overweight and obesity. On the occasion of the 5th National Cancer Prevention Week from September 25th to 29th, the German Cancer Aid, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the German Cancer Society (DKG) are committed to creating framework conditions that make it easier for people to maintain or achieve a healthy body weight . The three cancer organizations demand that advertising restrictions on products that promote obesity and higher taxes on foods high in fat and sugar must be a first step in achieving this goal.
Shortness of breath or joint problems and perhaps diabetes - these are health problems that many people associate with overweight and obesity. What is much less known is that overweight and especially obesity, medically referred to as “obesity”, are also cancer risk factors that should not be underestimated. DKFZ researchers calculated in 2018 that almost seven percent of new cancer cases in Germany are due to obesity. “This means that every year around 30,000 people in Germany develop cancer due to being overweight. That’s 30,000 preventable cases of cancer,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Michael Baumann, Chairman of the Board of the German Cancer Research Center.
Federal Minister of Health Prof. Karl Lauterbach:
“I very much welcome the fact that this year’s National Cancer Prevention Week is focusing on overweight and obesity as preventable risk factors for cancer. Many people know that smoking and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors for cancer. What is probably less known is that being very overweight and obese increases the risk of a number of common cancers such as breast cancer and colon cancer. By eliminating or, even better, avoiding these risk factors through a healthy diet and sufficient exercise, we not only reduce the risk of cancer, but also of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and joint diseases.”
Start preventing obesity in childhood
But maintaining a healthy body weight is not easy in a world full of temptation by high-calorie foods. “The highest priority should therefore be preventive measures that make it easier for people to eat a balanced diet and thus maintain their body weight,” says Gerd Nettekoven, CEO of the German Cancer Aid. “The prevention of obesity must begin in childhood, because this is where excess weight often has its origins.”
Urgent need for action
Important incentives for a healthy diet include a ban on advertising aimed at children for foods that promote obesity or a “healthy VAT”. This provides for higher taxation on foods high in sugar, fat or salt, while fruit and vegetables are not taxed. Consumer-friendly nutritional labels and balanced nutritional offerings in schools could also make an important contribution.
Some European countries have already implemented such preventive measures: England and France, for example, tax heavily sugared soft drinks, and Portugal bans advertising of unhealthy foods aimed at children. “In Germany we have an urgent need for action,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Ghadimi, President of the German Cancer Society. “Implementing the ban on advertising aimed at children for foods high in sugar and fat as agreed in the coalition agreement would be an important first step in cancer prevention.”