Healthy living could spare up to 120,000 people a year in the UK from developing cancer, according to a new analysis.
More than half these cases of cancer are caused by smoking – but about a quarter are linked to poor diet, according to the latest analysis from Cancer Research UK.
And 22,000 cases of cancer are linked to people being overweight and obese, according to analysts.
The charity says it has derived the figures from the most recent research into links between lifestyle and cancer.
It says alcohol, lack of exercise and exposure to the sun also contribute to risk of cancer.
According to its analysis, some 587,000 Britons have developed cancer in the last five years because of the impact of unhealthy living.
The figures are based on a 2011 study published in the British Journal of Cancer into the effect of lifestyle and environment on cancer risk.
Professor Linda Baud, from Cancer Research UK, said: “There are more than 200 types of cancer each caused by a complex set of factors – involving both our genes and our lifestyles.
“There are proven ways to minimise our risk of cancer – like giving up smoking, being more active, drinking less alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight.”
Analyst Professor Max Parkin, of Queen Mary, University of London, said: “There’s now little doubt that certain lifestyle choices can have a big impact on cancer risk, with research around the world all pointing to the same key risk factors.”
The Fraction of Cancer Attributable to Lifestyle and Environmental Factors in the UK in 2010. Br J Cancer 2011; 105, (S2):Si-S81
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