Hongkongers still ignoring link between obesity and cancer, not prepared to do the ‘basic stuff’ to save their health

The link between obesity and cancer is well documented, but health professionals in Hong Kong and Singapore report that patients are ignoring the elevated risk of cancer caused by poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Two doctors explains that a worrying number of their patients will still not do simple things, such as eating better and getting more exercise, to protect against cancer. Hong Kong’s fragmented health system doesn’t help. “The link between diabetes and cancer was first reported back in the 1920s,” says Professor Juliana Chan Chung-ngor, director of the Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “People die from heart disease or kidney disease, but now treatments for these diseases have become better – blood pressure control is better, people are on lipid-lowering drugs or having stents put in, they’re having dialysis. But their internal environment is still not optimised.” ... ... ... For more information, please visit main website at [ http://sc.mp/2qgAvxH ] or printer-friendly version for desktop computer at [ http://www.scmp.com/print/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2140628/hongkongers-still-ignoring-link-between-obesity-and-cancer ].