Women who are obese have a 40% increased risk of developing a number of different cancers, including bowel, womb and kidney cancer, new figures have revealed.

According to Cancer Research UK, obesity is known to increase a woman's risk of developing at least seven different types of cancer - bowel, womb, kidney, gallbladder, pancreatic, oesophageal and post-menopausal breast cancer.

However, these latest figures reveal just how heightened this risk is, with obese women having a one in four chance of developing a type of cancer that is linked to their excess weight.

Furthermore, for every 1,000 normal-weight women, 194 will be diagnosed with one of these types of cancer. However, for every 1,000 obese women, this figure rises to 274.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Julie Sharp of Cancer Research UK acknowledged that the risk of developing cancer depends on a combination of things - genes, our environment, our lifestyle. However she noted that many of these risks are within our control, such as our weight.

"Losing weight isn't easy, but you don't have to join a gym and run miles every day or give up your favourite food forever. Just making small changes that you can maintain in the long term can have a real impact.

"To get started try getting off the bus a stop earlier and cutting down on fatty and sugary foods. Losing weight takes time so gradually build on these to achieve a healthier lifestyle that you can maintain," she commented.

Dr Sharp added that helping people to understand how they can reduce their risk of developing cancer ‘remains crucial in tackling the disease'.

"Lifestyle changes - like not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on alcohol - are the big opportunities for us all to personally reduce our cancer risk. Making these changes is not a guarantee against cancer, but it stacks the odds in our favour."