Today's health scare stories

Both from The Metro:

TV can cause child obesity: Report

Young children who watch a lot of television are much fatter than those who do not, scientists said. The study of two-to-six-year-olds found those spending just an hour a day longer in front of the television had on average 2lbs (1kg) more body fat. But scientists carrying out the research believe the cause is food intake rather than inactivity.*

Changing diet could cut 40 per cent of cancers

Almost 40 per cent of cancer cases could be prevented by changing diet from red meat and alcohol to fruit and vegetables. A major study from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) found that an estimated 39 per cent of 12 major cancers could be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. This included almost half (43 per cent) of cases of bowel cancer and 42 per cent of breast cancer cases. Increasing the amount of fresh veg and fruit in the diet and cutting down on alcohol could prevent 67 per cent of cases of mouth, pharynx and larynx cancer each year, the report said. This is equivalent to more than 3,300 cases each year in the UK*.

* Bollocks. My kids watch an hour or two of television every day, plus maybe half an hour on YouTube and they are just as slim as me and Her Indoors. A coincidence? I think not.

** Memo - UK population approx. 61,000,000