British men refuse to recognise they are fat

Jul 4 2005

A new survey by Cancer Research UK, released to launch their Man Alive Campaign, is suggesting that 25% of British men are "in denial" about their waist measurement, and most men, when questioned were unaware that being overweight, obese, or inactive, increases the risk of cancer.

Although official statistics demonstrate that 65% of adult men are overweight or obese, the survey found that of over 2,000 men, only 40% thought they were in these groups.

Experts such as Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK, is urging overweight men to become more active and eat a better balanced diet, which is rich in fruit and vegetables, and low in sugar and fat, and also to be more active.

In the survey as many as 65% of those questioned had no idea that being overweight or obese increased their chance of developing cancer, while 75% were unaware that being physically inactive also increased their risk.

According to the survey only 22% of those questioned eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and two-thirds fail to meet the recommended target of 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week.

The experts say the only conclusion to be drawn is that men are not listening to health warnings to maintain a healthy body weight, and they warn that obesity could be responsible for as many as 40,005 cases of cancer in UK men every year.

Recent research has suggested that obesity increases the risk of bowel cancer by 60%, doubles the risk of being diagnosed with kidney, oesophageal and stomach cancer, and is also a risk factor for bladder cancer.

A great deal of research shows that good diet and regular exercise are two factors that can help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Professor Jane Wardle, the director of Cancer Research UK's Health Behaviour Unit, says that in just 10 years, the rate of obesity for British men has increased two thirds, and even though women are also overweight, their research shows that they do at least recognise they have a problem, which is the first step in putting it right.

Wardle says men need to be made more aware of the problem, learn how to fix it and be given the support to succeed. Only then, she says will they reduce their risk of cancer.

Dr Walker says it is imperative that men understand how they can reduce their risk of cancer, and to stop smoking, is by far the most important step in reducing this risk.

But she adds that in non-smokers, obesity is one of the biggest known causes of preventable cancer.

Apparently rates of obesity are growing faster for men in the UK than for men anywhere else in Europe, and that should be a wake up call to all men and their partners to become more active, eat healthier diets and make sensible lifestyle choices.