Obesity to become leading preventable cause of cancer in women

LONDON, England -- Obesity is set to overtake smoking as the leading preventable cause of cancer in women in the UK, a new report warns.

Cancer Research UK estimated that 23,000 British women will suffer from obesity-related cancers by 2035 -- just 2,000 fewer than the number of cases caused by smoking.

By 2043 obesity will become the most common cause of cancer in women if current trends continue, the charity found.

Smoking is currently linked to 12.4% of cancers in UK women, compared to 7.5% that are caused by obesity, according to the British Journal of Cancer.