Non-smokers! Beware of junk grub

Addiction to junk food could lead to obesity, which is found to be the main cause of cancers in non-smokers.

Are you a non-smoker but addicted to junk grub? Beware! The fast food can lead to obesity which has become the main cause of cancers, particularly in people who don't puff fags.

Yes, according to a study by researchers in Britain, though smoking is still the single biggest cause of cancers, obesity is claiming lives of a number of non-smokers every year, The Daily Telegraph reported here today.

"Already the majority of people don't smoke and for them obesity may be the most important identified cause of cancer. Eating a balanced diet is important to remain a healthy weight," lead researcher Prof Tim Key of Cancer Research-UK was quoted as saying.

According to the study, obesity increases the risk of breast cancer in women by raising the level of hormones such as oestrogen; it also raises the chance of bowel cancer, particularly in overweight men.

Moreover, the researchers have found that obesity is also a major cause of kidney cancer as well as it's linked to nine other rarer cancers.

In fact, they came to the conclusion after spending five years collecting data about the effect of bodyweight, diet and physical activity on the risk of developing cancers.

The study has been endorsed and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund and will be published in the form of a report, titled Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, at an international conference at The Royal Society in London next month.