Half of Britons wrongly believe stress causes cancer

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Half of Britons wrongly believe that stress is a cause of cancer, according to new statistics launched today by the the World Cancer Research Fund UK (WCRF UK) has revealed.

Despite no evidence, four per cent more people than last year believe that the two are linked.

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The survey, conducted by YouGov, also revealed how many (13 per cent) Britons mistakenly believe that coffee increases their risk in developing cancer – this is up from last year’s 12 per cent.

Although research is still limited, the WCRF has found that drinking coffee could in fact potentially reduce the risk of liver and womb cancer.

The statistics also revealed how processed meat, like bacon, salami, chorizo, corned beef and pepperoni were being overlooked with over half (51 per cent) of respondents unaware that eating such foods increase their risk of getting cancer.

More than half of respondents (51 per cent) were also unaware that being physically inactive increases the risk.

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However, the link between alcohol consumption and cancer appears to be showing a trend of increased awareness with more people than before (59 per cent) identifying the connection between the two – up from 57 per cent in 2016 and 54 per cent in 2015.

Dr Rachel Thompson, Head of Research Interpretation at WCRF, said: "Our research on cancer preventability estimates shows that about 24,000 cases of cancer could be prevented in the UK each year if people stopped drinking alcohol.

“Making other similar lifestyle choices - such as limiting your processed meat intake - and making the public aware of these risks, could save even more lives."