LONDON — Half of all children born now in the UK will develop cancer at some point during their lives.

That’s the stark new finding from Cancer Research UK, which was published Wednesday in the British Journal of Cancer.

In the past, Cancer Research UK had said that one in three people would develop the disease, but with the average life expectancy increasing, the organization revised its outlook as age is the biggest risk factor for most cancers.

“Cancer is primarily a disease of old age, with more than 60% of all cases diagnosed in people aged over 65. If people live long enough then most will get cancer at some point,” said Professor Peter Sasieni, one of the study authors, based at Queen Mary University of London.

However, people can reduce their risk by giving up smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising, limiting exposure to the sun and drinking less alcohol.

Figures show there is a slight difference between the sexes. Almost 54% of men will develop cancer, while just under 48% of women will.

There are more than 200 different types of cancer. In the UK, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and bowel cancer are the four most common types.

More than 330,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with cancer in 2011, according to the NHS.

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