UN report says Barbados has highest cancer burden attributable to obesity in wome

UNITED NATIONS (CMC) — A report has revealed that Barbados and Puerto Rico have the highest cancer burden attributable to weight related issues.

On Wednesday the World Health Organization (WHO) said 12.7 per cent of women in Barbados, 12.0 per cent in the Czech Republic and 11.6 per cent in Puerto Rico are “most affected” by this issue.

The report says overall, the countries with the highest cancer burden attributable to overweight and obesity in men are the Czech Republic (5.5 per cent of the country’s new cancer cases); Jordan (4.5 per cent); the United Kingdom (4.4 per cent); and Malta (4.4 per cent).

“Being overweight or obese have become major risk factors for developing cancer, particularly among women and in more developed countries,” says WHO, adding that overweight and obesity are responsible for an estimated 481,000 — or 3.6 per cent  — of all new cancer cases in 2012.

Reducing such health issues at the population level could have significant health benefits, according to the study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

The study, which was published in the British science journal, The Lancet Oncology, also shows that one quarter of all cancers attributable to overweight and obesity worldwide — 118,00 cases — could have been prevented if populations had simply maintained their average body-mass index of 30 years ago.

“The number of cancers linked to obesity and overweight is expected to rise globally along with economic development,” said Director of IARC, Dr Christopher Wild in a statement.