MORE North-East women are at risk of weight-related cancer than anywhere else in the country.

Nearly a third – 32 per cent – of all women in the region are regarded as clinically obese, well above the national average of 24 per cent.

And, according to Cancer Research UK, they will have a 40 per cent greater risk of developing a weight-related cancer during their lifetime than women of a healthy weight.

Obesity increases a woman’s risk of developing at least seven types of cancer – including bowel, post-menopausal breast, gallbladder, womb, kidney, pancreatic and oesophageal cancers.

There are different ways that obesity could increase the risk of cancer, and one possibility is that it is linked to a fat cell’s production of hormones – especially oestrogen. This hormone is thought to fuel the development of cancer.

Nicki Embleton, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for the North-East, said: “Losing weight isn’t easy, but women don’t have to join a gym and run miles every day or give up their favourite food forever.

“Just making small healthy changes that can be maintained in the long term can have a real impact.”

Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, added: “Lifestyle changes, like not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on alcohol –are the big opportunities for us all to personally reduce our cancer risk.

“Making these changes is not a guarantee against cancer, but it stacks the odds in our favour.”