New Delhi: According to a new study, one in four cases and half of cancer deaths can be avoided by making some simple lifestyle changes. Researchers involved in the study found that almost half of the cancer cases ever reported are because of lifestyle factors such as not exercising, smoking and alcohol intake. For this, experts at the American Cancer Society (ACS) evaluated data for 30 types of cancers reported in adults aged 30 years and above in the US in 2019. Experts looked at the case count and the number and they all were associated with modifiable risk factors such as:
Excess body weight
Smoking – current or former
Secondhand soking
Alcohol intake
Eating red meat
Sedentary lifestyle
Exposure to UV rays
Low intake of dietary calcium, fibre, fruits and vegetables
How do lifestyle factors affect cancer risk?
It was found that smoking has the highest caseload – 56% of the preventable cancers in men and 39.9% in women. Being overweight is the second biggest risk factor responsible for 7.6% cancer cases followed by 5.4% blamed upon alcohol intake – UV radiation and sedentary lifestyle account for 4.6% and 3.1% cases respectively. One of the authors of the study said that despite a decline in smoking prevelance in the past decades, but the number of deaths occurring because of the same is still alarming.
Doctors said that this underlines the importance of working towards reducing tobacco use in people across age groups and in all forms. Interventions also need to be made to help one maintain a healthy body weight and follow a good diet as well to reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths in the country. The study’s findings were published in the CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Researchers said that the findings show that there is continued need to increase access to preventive healthcare and for preventive measures as well. The study was centred in the US, however, as per Cancer Research UK, 18.1 million cancer cases were reported globally. The four most common forms of cancers were:
Breast cancer
Lung cancer
Bowel cancer
Prostate cancer
These account for 40% of the cases.
It was found that smoking has the highest caseload – 56% of the preventable cancers in men and 39.9% in women. Being overweight is the second biggest risk factor responsible for 7.6% cancer cases followed by 5.4% blamed upon alcohol intake – UV radiation and sedentary lifestyle account for 4.6% and 3.1% cases respectively. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
