In talking with a friend of mine the other day, I learned that not a lot of the people were aware that being overweight was one of the risk factors that can lead to breast cancer. Many more of us know weight loss, a balanced diet and exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle, but do we really take time to understand how that links to cancer? 

Don’t feel too bad because a recent global survey by the International Union against Cancer (UICC) found that around 40 % of people in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and West Asia do not know about the link between weight and cancer. In other regions such as Africa and South East Asia, the survey revealed that awareness is even lower, with 41 and 49 per cent respectively of people saying there is no link between weight and cancer.

Other estimates sugggest that cancer will soon become the leading cause of deaths, and that weight plays an important role in this. Not just the US is concerned about obesity trends either, but it seems almost every other country is worried also.

This survey interviewed 40,000 in 39 countries and found that those who are most at risk from some cancers minimize their own risks. What this means that 25% of those who drink and smoke daily think that smoking cigarettes does not increase the risk of cancer. The same is true of people who are already obese or overweight.

With more research being done all the time, it is becoming clearer that 30 - 40 % of cancers could be preventable if people led healthier lives, and reducing overweight and obesity."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) approximately 22 million children under five are overweight today, and the problem is growing.

"Overweight and obesity are part of the causal chain for many cancers," Professor David Hill, the president of the UICC said in a news release to launch the initiative. This is well established in science but not adequately understood in the community. In fact, current lack of public understanding of the link between body weight and cancer probably parallels our attitudes to smoking and cancer in the late 1950s."

Another report from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2007 showed that cancer will become the leading cause of death worldwide by 2010, more than heart disease. Cancer is also rising in developing countries, the World Health Organization reported.

This may be because developing countries are copying the eating habits of developed countries. Where they used to eat a lot of plants and fruits, but the shift towards technology and fast foods is increasing the number of cancers.

So this leads me to ask how do we teach developing countries how to balance proper nutrition, diet and exercise? By our example or by saying "do as I say, not as I do."