Live Well Suffolk is here to tackle poor lifestyle cancer statistics

Almost half of cancers diagnosed in the UK each year - over 130,000 in total - are caused by avoidable life choices including smoking, drinking and eating the wrong things, according to a new report released today by Cancer Research UK.

Live Well Suffolk, a healthy lifestyle service for the county launched earlier this year, has been commissioned by NHS Suffolk to tackle these issues by offering a free and all-encompassing programme of stop smoking support, weight management schemes, physical activity classes and healthy eating advice.

The service is innovative as it offers clients a full package of healthy lifestyle support, rather than tackling issues such as stop smoking in isolation. Suffolk is one of the only counties in the country to benefit from this type of service.

The study revealed that tobacco is the biggest culprit, causing 23% of cancer cases in men and 15.6% in women. Between 80-90% of all lung cancer cases, which is Britain’s biggest cancer killer, are caused by smoking.

The next biggest factor in cancer cases in men is a diet lacking in fresh fruit and vegetables, while for women, it’s being overweight.

One in five Suffolk adults smoke and it is the leading cause of preventable death in the county. Obesity is also a major issue, with the number of overweight adults and children on the increase.

Tim Roberts, Director of Live Well Suffolk said: “It is important to encourage people to stop smoking, eat healthily and take regular exercise, all of which can contribute to living a longer, healthier life. At Live Well Suffolk we offer an all-round support package which tackles these issues head on which is flexible, tailored and free.”

Lead author of the Cancer Research UK study, Prof Max Parkin added: “Looking at all the evidence, it’s clear that around 40% of all cancers are caused by things we mostly have the power to change. We didn’t expect to find that eating fruit and vegetables would prove to be so important in protecting men against cancer.”

Live Well Suffolk has also launched a campaign for December which aims to encourage people to make sensible choices with alcohol this Christmas.

For more information about Live Well Suffolk and the free programmes on offer across the county, call 01473 229292 or visit www.livewellsuffolk.org.uk